U.S. Naval High Frequency Direction Finding Sites during World War I and World War II. Part 2 Updated: 01 Jun 08 ======================================================================================== Station Opened Closed/Disestablished ======================================================================================== Manistique, Upper Peninsula, Michigan Manistique is a city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 3,583. It is the county seat of Schoolcraft County, and the only incorporated location in the county. The city is located on the north shore of Lake Michigan, at the southwest corner of Manistique Township, 88 miles from the Mackinac Bridge. Manistique is 45 miles south of Munising, and located at the edge of the Hiawatha National Forest. The Manistique River received its name from the French, and was reportedly a corruption of the Ojibwa word for "river of the big bay," in reference to the significant river and its tributaries, which spread throughout a vast portion of Michigan's upper peninsula. The city if Manistique was established in 1890, and was originally a lumber transfer town. The timber was cut further north and sent down the Manistique River to Lake Michigan. The timber was sorted at Manistique and sent by boat to different towns for processing and use. Manistique was also an important commercial fishing port. The shortest distance between Lake Michigan and Lake Superior is located near Manistique, where a trail was used by Lifesaving Station keepers to drag their lifeboats from one lake to another, in times of emergency. Realizing the vast profit potential to be made in satiating Chicago's need for lumber after the great fire, and the natural delivery system represented by the Manistique watershed, Abijah Weston and his associates arrived in Manistique in 1872, ready to reap the bounty of the areas seemingly limitless forest. Within a year, the river mouth served as the receiving point for millions of logs floated down the river from remote wilderness camps, and the twin sawmills of the Chicago Lumbering Company and the Weston Lumber Company were working overtime to serve the endless parade of lumber hookers and schooners tied-up at the lumber-stacked wharves, waiting to carry their cargoes to the bustling cities growing at the foot of the lake. In order to protect the mouth of the river from silting, the lumber interests erected a pair of short timber crib piers at the river mouth in the late 1870's and maintained lens lanterns suspended from poles at their outer ends to assist captains making their way into the harbor. Seeing the potential for a rail line connecting Manistique to lake Superior, Weston formed the Manistique and Northwestern Railway Company in 1891, with the lines northern terminus at Negaunee. With an expected increase in maritime traffic entering the river, the Ninth Lighthouse District Engineer requested an appropriation of $32,000 for the establishment of a coast light and fog signal at the harbor entrance in his annual report for 1892. In an act of February 15, 1893, Congress approved the project, but no appropriation was forthcoming, and without funding, the project was stalled. Although the Lighthouse Board reiterated the request for the following three years, the matter was dropped by the Board in its annual reports after 1895. By the turn of the century the population of Manistique had grown to 3,500, with the mills employing 1,200 men, and producing 80,000,000 board feet of white pine a year. Additionally, prosperous new businesses had joined the lumber interests along the lower five miles of the river, including the Manistique Iron Company, which was shipping 100 tons of pig iron a day. After establishing the Traverse City, Leelanau & Manistique Railroad in 1901, which ran between Northport to Traverse City, Weston launched the 338-foot car ferry Manistique Marquette and Northern No. 1 in December 1902, and began daily railcar and mail service between Manistique and Northport. These were boom times for Manistique, and while the federal government had undertaken a string of significant harbor improvements throughout Lake Michigan since the 1850's, the entry to the Manistique had somehow been overlooked. Forced to provide for themselves, Manistique business interests had extended the timber crib piers to 1,600 feet in length, and barely managed to maintain a depth of 11 feet in the 350-foot opening between the piers. Applying all possible political pressure, the city fathers of Manistique finally managed to convince the Federal government of both the financial importance the businesses on the river represented, and the need to ensure safe entry to the increasingly larger vessels now plying the lakes. An Army Corps of Engineers harbor expert was dispatched to Manistique in early 1910, and plans were drawn up for a pair of concrete arrowhead breakwaters on each side of the existing piers to create a large stilling basin to both protect the river entry and to create a harbor of refuge, in which passing vessels could lay-up during foul weather periods. The contract for the construction of the breakwaters was awarded to the Greiling Brothers Company out of Sturgeon Bay, who had established a solid reputation for harbor work in a number of ports around Lake Michigan. With construction well underway in 1910, George Putnam, the newly appointed Commissioner of lighthouses, made the following observations in his annual report to Congress: "car ferries between Frankfort and Manistique run the year round; during the winter months this run, taking into consideration the nature of the cargo carried and the dangers from ice is extremely hazardous; it is therefore believed that every facility should be afforded for safe navigation into this port, It is proposed to establish range lights with fog signal and quarters for keepers." To this end, the report included a request for $20,000 for the erection of the recommended navigation aids, as follows: For two towers and fog-signal buildings $7,000, illuminating apparatus $2,500, for fog signal apparatus $1,500, $7,500 for a duplex dwelling and $1,500 to cover contingencies. As work on the breakwaters progressed through 1912, the Lighthouse Service erected temporary range lights on the east pier. Both lights were incandescent electric type, and powered by the city electrical utility. The front range consisted of simple pole with a 170 candlepower fixed white lens lantern suspended 25 feet above lake level, and visible for a distance of 11 miles. The rear range, of similar construction stood 50 feet above the water, and emitted 45 candlepower, and created a visible range of 7 miles. Congress responded with the requested $20,000 for permanent aids on October 22, 1913. Contracts were awarded for supplying the necessary structural and mechanical components for the new west breakwater that winter, and negotiations were undertaken for the purchase of a site for the dwelling close to the foot of the new East Breakwater. With the Greilling Brothers completion of the west breakwater in the summer of 1914, lighthouse crews began simultaneous construction of permanent lights on both the West Breakwater and West pierhead. The West Breakwater structure took the form of a white skeleton steel tower erected on a concrete pedestal atop the surface of the concrete breakwater. Designed to operate as an unmanned aid, the acetylene powered lens lantern was equipped with a sun valve and flasher. The 120-candlepower white light was visible for a distance of 10 miles. To guide vessels round the West Pierhead, a simple white post lantern was erected on outer end of the old timber pier. Standing 26 feet above lake level, the 60-candlepower acetylene light was visible 8 miles, and received its acetylene from tanks stored in a small wooden building located beside the pole. Construction of the planned lighting of the west side of the harbor entrance was thus complete, and the two new lights were exhibited for the first time on the evening of October 30, 1914. The Greilling Brothers completed work on the new East Breakwater late in 1915, and a lighthouse crew arrived to pour a large concrete slab 36 feet from the outer end of the structure to serve as a foundation for the planned combination light tower and fog signal building. The following year, while one crew worked on building the station's duplex dwelling, another crew worked on erecting the lighthouse tower at the end of the East Breakwater. Shipped to the site in disassembled form, the tower was made of prefabricated steel plates, which were bolted together and lagged to the foundation. Square in plan, the tower stood approximately 38 feet tall, and was surmounted by a square gallery, capped with a decagonal cast iron lantern, housed an electrically powered fixed red fourth order Fresnel lens. The 340-candlepower incandescent electric bulb within the lens would be visible for a distance of 13 miles. Within the body of the structure, duplicate electrically powered compressors fed a pair of diaphone fog signals. Work on the new station was completed in August, 1916, and the Manistique East Breakwater Light, located at the east end of the harbor, where the Manistique River flows into Lake Michigan; was first lit on the evening of August 17, 1916. Over the ensuing fifty years, Manistique's prominence as a lumbering port waned. With cessation of Manistique and Lake Superior railroad operations, and the departure of the last Ann Arbor car ferry from the harbor on July 18, 1968, the harbors importance plummeted. With the advances in Loran and Radar, manned lighthouses were no longer a necessity to navigation. The Manistique lighthouse was automated in 1969, the keepers departed, and the keeper's dwelling was sold into private ownership. As part of automation, the fourth order Fresnel lens was removed, replaced by an acrylic automatic optic beam. The lens was placed in storage, eventually restored and loaned to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc. The Manistique East Breakwater Light remains an active aid to navigation, maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard. Navy Direction Finding Station, Manistique, MI at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Manistique, MI =================================================================================== Manasquan, New Jersey Manasquan Inlet, Point Pleasant, New Jersey Mansaquan Beach, Point Pleasant, New Jersey Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey Manasquan is a Borough in Monmouth County, NJ. As of the U.S. 2000 Census, the borough population was 6,310. Manasquan was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on December 30, 1887, from portions of Wall Township, based on the results of a referendum held the previous day. Manasquan was first settled as a part of Shrewsbury in the late 1600's. It takes its name, Man-A-Squaw-Han (stream of the Island of Squaws) from the Lenni Lenape Indians, who were summer visitors here for hundreds of years. The Unamis branch of the Lenni Lenape Indians lived along the river known as Manasquan and upon the island situated in the middle of the river, adjacent to the Point Pleasant Canal entrance; later called Osborne Island. Today, the island is officially named Nienstedt Island, honoring the family who donated it to the borough. The Lenni Lenape claimed the exclusive right to fish in and hunt along the tributaries of the river. Manasquan, Maniquan, Mannisquan, Manasquam, Squan, and Squan Village are mentioned in various early records, among them a deed dated 1685. The meaning has also been interpreted as "an island with enclosure for squans." The Manasquan River is a major waterway in central New Jersey. It flows from central Monmouth County, beginning in Howell Township, to the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties between the communities of Manasquan and Point Pleasant via the Manasquan Inlet. It widens greatly as it nears the ocean, making it ideal for boating, and is a very popular recreational area of the Jersey Shore. The Manasquan River and Inlet is the northernmost terminus of the Intracoastal Waterway. It also marks the traditional boundary between North Jersey and South Jersey, and it separates Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Point Pleasant is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey. As of the U.S. 2000 Census, the borough population was 19,306. The U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 population estimate for Point Pleasant was 19,882. Point Pleasant was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 21, 1920, from portions of Brick Township, based on the results of a referendum held on May 19, 1920. The borough was reincorporated on March 12, 1928. Point Pleasant Beach is a Jersey Shore community situated on the Barnegat Peninsula, a long, narrow barrier peninsula that divides the Barnegat Bay from the Atlantic Ocean; spanning the eastern New Jersey Atlantic coastline from the Manasquan Inlet at the north to the border with Bay Head in the south. The U.S. Lifesaving Service was established in February, 1871. The U.S. Lifesaving Station at Mansaquan Beach, more recently known as Manasquan, was located at Point Pleasant, New Jersey. In 1846, an investigation into a shipwreck at Mantoloking indicated the need for organized lifesaving efforts in the area. By 1849, The Federal Government had established eight lifesaving stations in the area. The Mansaquan Station is believed to have been built in 1856, on property conveyed in 1849, located one mile southeast of Squan village. In the 1902 Annual Report is that statement that "under a contract entered into during the year, the old station which has become unsuitable for occupancy at Squan Beach is being replaced by a new structure." On January 28, 1915, the U.S. Lifesaving Service and its functions were consolidated with the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service to form the U.S. Coast Guard. The Manasquan Inlet shoaled over and closed soon after the Point Pleasant Canal opened in 1925, as the river began to flow through the canal and into Barnegat Bay instead of through the inlet to the Atlantic Ocean. Several hundred yards of sand built up behind the beach, closing the inlet to maritime traffic. The closing devastated the fishing and yachting communities along the Manasquan River. Recognizing the importance of access to the ocean, officials in Manasquan, Brielle, Point Pleasant and Point Pleasant Beach joined together and pressured federal officials to reopen the inlet. In 1930, the Army Corps of Engineers began the year- long project to reopen the inlet. Workers built two temporary piers, and began building jetties and a temporary wooden bridge across the sands to truck in boulders and equipment to dredge the inlet. The communities of Manasquan, Brielle, Point Pleasant, Point Pleasant Beach, as well as Monmouth and Ocean counties, each contributed $25,000 toward the project. The remainder of the $600,000 price tag, equal to nearly $8 million today, was paid for with matching funds contributions from the state and federal governments. Work was completed in February 1931. The Manasquan Inlet is a major thoroughfare for commercial and recreational boats and the start of the Intracoastal Waterway. The U.S. Coast Guard was stationed in Manasquan prior to the Manasquan Inlet shoaling over. The Coast Guard has been stationed in Point Pleasant Beach since 1936. In 1936, the Coast Guard built a new Lifesaving station on the south side of Manasquan Inlet in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey. Because of it’s ocean access and protected mooring facilities, the new Manasquan Coast Guard Station replaced the earlier Mansaquan Lifesaving Station, as well as four other Lifesaving Stations: the Bay Head Station, built in c1856, originally known as Point Pleasant Station from c1856 to June 1, 1883 and abandoned in 1946; the Mantoloking Station, built in 1872, originally known as the Swan Point Station from 1872 to June 1, 1883 and turned over to the GSA in 1953; the Chadwick Beach Station, built in 1849 and abandoned in 1939; and the Toms River Station, built in 1872 and turned over to the GSA in 1964. The only one of those early five stations that remains in service is at Manasquan, where the old station now serves as an Electronics Shop for Coast Guard Group Sandy Hook. In 1938, the Work Relief and Public Works Appropriation Act provided funds for a combination boathouse and garage, workshop, and launch way. In approximately 1939, a boathouse was added in Point Pleasant Beach, and in 1976, an enlisted quarters. On the exterior, Station Manasquan Inlet has retained it’s 1936 appearance, but once inside one will find that it’s equipment has kept up with technological advances important to it’s primary missions of search and rescue and law enforcement. Additionally, remodeling projects have kept the living areas modern and comfortable for it’s inhabitants. Coast Guard Station Manasquan Inlet is manned by a crew of 30 men and women, and they respond to about 600 search and rescue cases a year. The station’s missions are search and rescue, enforcement of laws and treaties, and enforcing recreational boating safety. The station’s area of responsibility is from Spring Lake N.J. to Seaside Heights up to 48 miles offshore, and from the Manasquan River entrance to Toms River N.J. and all of Barnegat Bay in that area. The Manasquan Inlet also is the Northern terminus of the Intracoastal Waterway, which means that on any summer weekend as many as 1600 boats may pass through it. In addition, The Inlet is home to a fleet of commercial fishing and charter boats that bills itself as the "Fishing Capital of the World." Navy Direction Finding Station, Mansaquan, NJ at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Mansaquan, NJ =================================================================================== Manus Island, Lorengau, Admiralty Islands, Bismark Archipeligo, Papua New Guinea The Admiralty Islands (or Admiralties) are a group of 18 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago in the west Pacific Ocean, north of New Guinea. Part of Papua New Guinea, the island group is situated two degrees south of the Equator, about two hundred miles north of the New Guinea coast and more than 2,000 miles from Sydney, Australia. The group is also commonly called the Manus Islands, named after the largest island. Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the 5th largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 810 square miles, being some fifty miles long and four wide. It is covered in rugged jungles, which can be broadly described as lowland tropical rain forest. Manus Island has a population of approximately 33,000. The chief town and capital of Manus Province, Lorengau, is located at the east extremity of Manus Island, on the edge of Seeadler harbor. In 2000, the population of Lorengau was 5,829. Momote Airport, the terminal for Manus, is located on nearby Los Negros Island. A bridge connects Los Negros to Manus and the main town of Lorengau. Lorengau is the only port and supplies fuel, basic store goods, telecommunication and banking service to the province population. Transport to most villages and the outer islands is by boat. Inland villagers have to walk to the coast to travel by boat. The larger islands in the group include Manus Island, Los Negros Island, Tong Island, Pak Island, Rambutyo Island, Lou Island, St. Andrews Islands, Baluan Island, Haewei Island, Ahus Island, Hermit Island and Ndrova Island. The Islands of Ponam and Pityilu are 22 miles apart, lying close off the northern coast of Manus Island. Many of the islands are atolls and are uninhabited. Coconut growing and pearl fishing are the leading industries. Along with New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands, the Admiralty Islands were first inhabited approximately 40,000 years ago, in the initial wave of migration out of South-East Asia that also populated Australia. This early society appears to have cultivated taro, and to have deliberately introduced wild animals from New Guinea such as bandicoots and large rats. Obsidian was gathered and traded throughout the Admiralty Islands archipelago. The first European to visit the islands was the Dutch navigator Willem Schouten in 1616. The name Admiralty Islands was devised by Captain Philip Carteret, Royal Navy, in 1767. The Admiralties were annexed by Germany in 1886, and until 1914, the area was administered as a German colony. During World War I, in November 1914, the islands were occupied by troops of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force. A few shots fired from a machine gun over the heads of the tiny German garrison at Lorengau were the last shots fired in the battle. In 1920, following the defeat of Germany in World War I, the islands were governed by Australia, under a League of Nations mandate, until 1942. In 1939, the native population totalled approximately 13,000. The islands were also home to forty-four white men, mostly cocoa plantation managers. From August, 1941, an Austalian Reconnoiter Unit garrisoned Manus island, near Lorengau. The village consisted of fifteen houses and three shops. The residents had no cars, so there were no laid roads, only dirt tracks. A small airfield serviced the island and there was a radio station with a tall steel mast. The first Japanese air raid was on January 25, 1942, and everything in sight was bombed and straffed. Japanese troops landed on the islands on April 7, 1942. On Manus Island, The Aussie Patrol unit evacuated the Observation Post, smartly withdrew to prepared positions in the tropical jungle, and waited for a promised evacuation. It never came. To escape, they journeyed across the wilderness of New Guinea, passing over the Finnisterre mountain range, the Bismarck mountain range, and finally arrived at the Mt. Hagen camp on May 16, 1942. The Japanese established a small military base near the village of Rossum on Manus Island. They built airstrips at Lorengau on Manus, and at Momote on the neighbouring island of Los Negros. They made little strategic use of the airstrips, and had no serious plans, nor did they install any military defensive positions. The Allies wanted to capture the Admiralty Islands with the aim of acquiring a suitable deep-water anchorage for the large fleet being built up for the coming actions in the Pacific which would lead to the invasion of, Japan. Seeadler Harbor on Manus Island suited this purpose; it was fifteen miles long and four miles wide, with a depth of water ranging from twelve to fifteen fathoms. An anchorage such as this could shelter the large task forces that were proposed, and there was ample level ground for airstrips to be built on Manus, Los Negros, Pityilu and Ponam. In 1944, Japanese forces occupying the islands were attacked and defeated by U.S. and Allied forces in Operation Brewer of the Admiralty Islands campaign of February- March 1944. Japanese resistance ended on March 18, 1944. The Americans wasted no time in establishing installations on Manus. An Allied Naval base was established on Manus Island, near the village of Lombrumto, to support the Allied and U.S. Pacific Fleets. The Japanese airstrip at Momote, on Los Negros Island, was expanded and was made capable of handling heavy bombers. The U.S. Naval Operating Base, Manus Island and the U.S. Naval Air Station, Pityilu Island, were established on May 10, 1944. The U.S. Naval Auxillary Airfield at Ponam Island was established in August, 1944. The Naval Operating Base on the Admiralty Islands was a huge operation, which saw over a million servicemen either stationed there or passing through it. The base served as a re-supply depot as well as the staging area for the American invasion of the Philippines. The British element at Manus was to take the form of a small liaison team, a Captain, titled "Senior British Naval Officer (Manus)" with a staff of thirty. This team was to grow during the next year as plans progressed for the formation of a British contingent to join the fleet for operations against Japan. Prior to the arrival of RAF units, a British Naval Air Liaison Office was set up at Momote airfield on Los Negros Island. Runways, lay-bys, and huts for stores and mail were temporarily allocated for use by the Royal Navy. The first Royal Navy elements arrived on Ponam Island at the beginning of March, 1944. The main party arrived at Ponam on the March 25, onboard the S.S. Empire Arquebus. Pityilu Island is a small island on the outer reef of Seeadler harbor, about 5 miles north of Manus. Pityilu was site for an U.S. Navy airstrip, and an R&R facility designed to accommodate up to 10,000 servicemen a day. Construction was carried out by the 140th Naval Construction Battalion, which arrived at Manus during June, 1944, the airfield facility comprised of a single runway, made of crushed coral, and living areas for squadron personnel and about 5,000 other servicemen. Ponam Island lies some nineteen miles north-northwest of Manus. The Americans resettled the native population onto other islands and built an 'overflow' airstrip on Ponam Island to serve the U.S. Naval Air Station on Pityilu Island. The U.S. Navy’s 78th Naval Construction Battalion (NCB) Seabees built the facility in 10 weeks, during the summer of 1944. The 78th were replaced by 'A' company of the 140th Construction Battalion, which completed work on Ponam from August, 1944 and undertook station maintenance duties until April 14, 1945, before rejoining the main body located on Manus. The U.S. Naval Supplementary Radio Station, Manus Island, Admiralty Islands with a co-located Direction Finding Station was established on June 17, 1944. The U.S. Naval Auxillary Airfield at Ponam Island opened at the beginning of August, 1944, and the Royal Navy took up residence there. The first U.S. squadron to operate from Ponam was Marine Fighter Squadron 312 (VMF-312), with 24 FG-1 Corsais, operating from Ponam between late August and early December, 1944. VP-130 with 15 Lockheed PV-1 Vega "Ventura" aircraft arrived in mid-October, via Pityilu, to continue training and provide ASW and anti-shipping patrols. VP-130 departed November 1, 1944 for Owi Island. The entertainer Bob Hope made an unscheduled visit to Ponam in late 1944, a show was organised for personnel form the surrounding bases before his party moved on. The Ponam Island station was fully equipped; there were workshops, a small hospital, cinema, church, officers and ratings messes, and a cookhouse. The living quarters were Quonset huts that housed about 20 men per hut. These were corrugated metal huts constructed within coconut palm groves; it was necessary to be careful where you were walking because of the danger from falling coconuts. It was not uncommon in the middle of the night to have a coconut drop onto a Quonset hut, which would make the corrugated iron structure ring out like a giant bell and shake up the sleeping occupants. The toilet facilities (the ‘heads’ in Naval terminology) at both Pityilu and Ponam were somewhat primitive, a covered hut at the end of a dock built out over the waters inside the reef. The sides were laced with strips of olive coloured cloth that gave no feeling of privacy. The showers were out in the open and there was usually a string of naked men walking back and forth wearing only a towel. On April 2, 1945, the former U.S. Naval Airfield Ponam commissioned as HMS Nabaron, Royal Naval Air (RAF) Station Ponam. The station woperated under harsh tropical conditions for the next seven and a half months, providing reserve aircraft for the British Patrol Fleet, together with training and limited R&R for carrier based personnel. Lodger facilities were granted on Pityilu Island from early in 1945. At the conclusion of World War II, on October 10, 1945, the U.S. Naval Supplementary Radio Station and Direction Finding Station on Manus Island were disestablished and closed. RAF units were withdrawn from Ponam island on October 31, 1945. The last of her personnel and equipment was evacuated by HMS Unicorn and HMS Chaser. HMS Nabaron, RAF Station Ponam was closed on November 10, 1945, the airfield returning to U.S. Navy control. There is no recorded use of the airfield on Ponam by the U.S. Navy after the RAF withdrew. U.S. Naval Air Station, Pityilu Island was closed by the U.S. Navy on September 1, 1947. After the war the U.S. Naval Operating base at Lorengau was scrapped and all equipment was bulldozed into pits or into the harbor. Administered by Australia after World War II, the islands became part of the newly independent nation of Papua New Guinea in 1975. Naval Supplementary Radio Station (DF), Manus Island, 17 Jun 1944 10 Oct 1945 Lorengau, Admiralty Islands Navy Direction Finding Station Manus Island, Lorengau, Admiralty Islands =================================================================================== Marcus Island, Japan Marcus Island (Minamitori-shima) is an isolated island in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The Japanese meaning of the name is "Southern Bird Island". It is 1.2 square kilometers in area and five miles in circumference. It is the easternmost territory belonging to Japan, 989 miles southeast of Tokyo, and 600 mileseast of the closest Japanese island, South Iwo Jima of the Ogasawara Islands; and nearly on a straight line between Tokyo and Wake Island, which is 1,415 kilometers east-southeast. Marcus Island is 2,720 nautical miles west of Hawaii. The closest island, however, is Farallon de Pajaros of the Marianas Islands, which is 1,021 kilometers west-southwest of Marcus Island. It is triangular in shape and low lying. It was created by coral which eventually turned into a landmass. The island is surrounded by a fringing reef which range from 50 meters to 300 meters in width. The island is unusual as it gets higher the closer you get to the coast. The central area of the island is 1 meter below sea level, whilst the coast is about 5 to 8 meters above sea level. That the island was initially discovered by Captain Arriola in 1694, is not established. Its location was left unrecorded until further sightings in the early 19th century. The island is first mentioned in 1864, given a position by a U.S. survey ship in 1874, and first landed on by Kiozaemon Saito in 1879. Japan officially annexed the island on July 24, 1898. The U.S. claim from 1889, according to the Guano Islands Act, being not officially acknowledged. Sovereignty over the island before WWI was apparently disputed as various sources from the time move the island from the American to Japanese domain, without specific explanation. In 1914, William D. Boyce included Marcus Island as an obviously American island in his book, "The Colonies and Dependencies of the United States". In 1902, an American scientific expedition from Honolulu put in at Marcus Island, in the hopes of retrieving guano deposits. A Japanese marine force barred them, but did allow the party to land under heavy guard. The Japanese allowed a scientist to retrieve some wildlife specimens, gave the expedition some water and coconuts, then forced the scientists to depart. During World War II, there were over 4,000 Japanese soldiers stationed on the island. Marcus Island had three Japanese airplane runways, and was used as a base of operations against U.S. submarines. Marcus Island was also used as an air route link to the Japanese held Marshall Islands, Gilbert Islands and Wake Island. A U.S. Navy task force attacked Marcus Island and smashed Japanese hangars, runways, and ammunition dumps on April 6, 1942; and attacked again on August 30-31, 1943. But on both occasions, never attempted to capture it. The 1943 attack was conducted by Navy Task Force 15, consisting of the aircraft carriers USS Essex (CV-9) and USS Yorktown (CV-10), the light carrier USS Independence (CVL-22), the battleship Indiana (BB-58), four destroyers, two cruisers, and a fleet oiler. the island was captured from the Japanese during a landing in September, 1943. A U.S. Navy Direction Finding Station was established on Marcus Island on September, 1943, and was closed in May, 1944, when Marcus Island was no longer strategically important. In 1951, the Treaty of San Francisco moved the island to American jurisdiction. In 1964, the U.S. Coast Guard opened a LORAN-C navigation station on Marcus Island, whose mast was, until 1985, one of the tallest structures in the Pacific area. In the 1980s, the Loran station was maintained by 23 Coastguardsmen. They were based there on one year tours, with a visit to mainland Japan at the six month point. On Fridays, a C-130 from the 345th Tactical Airlift Squadron, Yokota AFB, Japan would resupply the island. Coastguardsmen (often referred to as Coasties) would often line the terminus of the runway, and judge the C-130 landings, by raising placards with large numbers. An unusually long four hour ground time allowed the Coasties to read and answer letters. Aircrews used this time to snorkel and collect green glass fishing bouys that wash up on the shore. It takes about 45 minutes to walk around the island. A rusted-out Japanese mini-tank was a reminder of the island's history. The island itself was sold to Japan in 1968. The Coast Guard Station continued to operate, until the station was transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard to the Government of Japan on September 30, 1993. The island is presently used for weather observation and has a radio station, but little else. Administratively, the island is considered part of Ogasawara village, Tokyo. The USS Marcus Island (CVE-77) was a Casablanca class escort carrier of the U.S. Navy. She was laid down as the Kanalku Bay under Maritime Commission contract in Vancouver, Washington, on September 15, 1943; renamed the Marcus Island on November 6, 1943; launched December 16, 1943; acquired by the Navy January 26, 1944; and commissioned at Astoria, Oregon, on January 26, 1944. After service in World War II, she was decommissioned at Boston, on December 12, 1946, and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She reclassified to CVHE-77 on June 12, 1955 and to AKV-27 on May 7, 1959. She was sold at Boston to Comarket, Inc., on February 29, 1960. Navy Direction Finding Station, Marcus Island, JA Sep 1943 May 1944 at U.S. Navy Radio Station, Marcus Island, CA =================================================================================== Mare Island, Vallejo, California Vallejo is a city in Solano County, California, As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 116,760. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northern shore of San Pablo Bay. The Napa River flows through the city of Vallejo on its journey to the San Pablo Bay. The City of Vallejo was founded in 1844, when General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo saw the promise of the area. Vallejo was once home of the Coastal Miwok, as well as Suisunes and other Patwin Native American tribes. The city of Vallejo was once part of a 66,000 acre Mexican land grant of 1844, by Governor Pío Pico to General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo called the Rancho Soscol. The city was named for this original Mexican military officer and title holder, he helped to settle and oversee the north bay region. General Vallejo wanted the site named Eureka, but the other citizens of the area wanted to name the new city after the General. Neighboring Benicia is named after Vallejo's wife, Francisca Benicia Carrillo. General Vallejo was responsible for military peace in the region until 1846, first under Spanish then Mexican rule, until independently minded Californians rose up against the Mexican government of California in 1846, in the Bear Flag Revolt, and the annexation of California to the U.S. General Vallejo, though a Mexican and Mexican Army officer, generally acquiesced in the annexation of California to the United States, recognizing the greater resources of the U.S. and benefits that would bring to his beloved California. He was a proponenent of reconciliation and statehood after the Bear Flag Revolt, and also has a U.S. Navy submarine, the USS Mariano G. Vallejo (SSBN 658), named after him. The Mare Island Naval Shipyard was the first U.S. Navy shipyard established on the Pacific Coast. It is located in Solano County, California, approximately 25 miles northeast of San Francisco and approximately 60 miles from Sacramento, California's state capital. The Napa River (Mare Island Strait) separates the peninsula Ship Yard from the city of Vallejo, California. Mare Island is approximately 3.5 miles long and one mile wide. Mare Island Naval Activities property consisted of more than 2,500 acres. Mare Island Navy Yard served as the premier U.S. West Coast submarine port, as well as serving as the controlling force in San Francisco Bay Area shipbuilding efforts during World War II. Mare Island Navy Yard built warships include those that have fought in the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II. During World War II, the shipyard repaired and returned to the battle lines 1,227 ships. At Mare Island's high point, in World War II, the shipyard had a population of 46,000. Over the years, the Navy Yard built four submarine tenders and seventeen submarines. Mare Island served as a major Pacific Ocean repair station during the late 1800s, handling American as well as Japanese and Russian vessels in the course of duty. Mare Island also took a commanding role in civil defense and emergency response on the West Coast, dispatching warships to the Pacific Northwest to subdue Native American uprisings. Mare Island sent ships such as USS Wyoming south to Central America and the Panama Canal, to protect U.S. political and commercial interests. Some of the support, logistics and munition requirements for the Spanish-American War were filled by Mare Island. Mare Island sent men, materiel and ships to San Francisco in response to the fires following the 1906 earthquake. Arctic rescue missions were mounted as necessary. Ordnance manufacturing and storage were two further key missions at Mare Island, for nearly all of its active service, including ordnance used prior to the American Civil War. In 1775, Don Perez Ayala, a Spanish explorer, was the first white man to set foot on Mare Island, which he dubbed Isla de la Plana. The first settlers of the region continued the name for the long, low segment of land. Legend, well founded in fact, has it that the island's name was changed in 1835, when a crude ferry, transporting men and livestock between land on either side of the Carquinez Straits, was caught in a small squall, which caused several of the animals to panic, kicking the ferry apart. Some of the animals swam to shore. Most of them, however, were drowned. One prized white mare belonging to General Mariano G. Vallejo, Mexican Commandante for Northern California, was found several days later on Isla de la Plana. Vallejo renamed the "Isla de la Yegua," meaning "Island of the Mare" or Mare Island. It is more probable, however, that some of the early missionaries named it Mare Island, from the Latin mare - the sea; just as the area to which it belongs was doubtless named from the Spanish solano - the east wind; though General Vallejo states that the county so called was named for Solano, the chief of the Suisuns. Gold was discovered in California in 1849, and the great stampede from the eastern shores reached across the broad American continent. This sudden migration westward made it immediately imperative for the U.S. Navy to establish a base on the west coast from which ships of the Pacific Squadron could operate and be repaired. In 1850, Commodore John Drake Sloat was ordered to lead a survey party in quest of a site for the nation's first Pacific Naval installation. Sloat, who had claimed California for the U.S. four years earlier at Monterey, recommended Mare Island, across the Napa River from the little settlement of Vallejo. It was in 1850, too, that the first California legislature accepted General Vallejo's offer to locate the state capital at the new city of Vallejo. The General was then serving as State Senator from the region. Thus, the charts prepared by Navy cartographers in Sloat's surveying party bear the inscription "Site of Vallejo, Seat of Government of California" opposite Mare Island. However, California's government was seated there for only a brief time, moving on to Benicia in 1853, and then on to Sacramento a short time later. But the U.S. Navy remained there for over 140 years. In 1850, according to Land Records, the island was granted to Victor Castro, who soon sold it for $7,000 to Vallejo's son-in-law, John. B. Frisbee, and his partner, B. Simmons. In 1851, the partners sold it to A. W. Aspinwall and G. W. P. Bissell for $17,500. Navy Department officials acted favorably on Commodore Sloat's recommendations and Mare Island was purchased in 1852 for $83,410. A further expenditure of $317,000 was required to put the Pacific Coast Naval Station in simplest working order, mechanics' wages being five and six dollars, while ship carpenters and caulkers rated as high as nine dollars per day. In 1852, construction of the dry dock began in New York; it being built in sections so that it could be dismantled and the sections shipped around Cape Horn. The Navy purchased the original 956 acres in 1853. By the fall of 1853, a basin to hold the dry dock was completed and the dock was in place. Until the Navy could take over, the crews were allowed to work on private contracts. The first vessel to enter the dry dock was the commercial steamer Pacific. In 1854, Commodore David G. Farragut, later to become the Navy's first Admiral was ordered to assume command of the Navy yard at Mare Island. Commodore David G. Farragut arrived September 16, 1854, aboard the ship USS Warren and immediately took command of Mare Island and commenced the creation of a Naval Base that would become the largest of its kind in the nation. Within days, the USS Warrren was towed from Sausalito to Mare Island and was the first Navy ship to dock at Mare Island Navy Yard. The boat was outfitted with living quarters and became home to the Farraguts, Colonel Daniel Turner and his family, and a few others. The Navy Yard commenced shipbuilding operations on September 16, 1854. A flagpole was erected and on October 3, 1854, the first hoisting of the American flag took place with a 13-gun salute. Mare Island Navy Yard became the first Naval Base on the Pacific Coast. In 1855, the commandant's house, a large brick building, was completed as living quarters for the Farragut family. Commander Farragut departed Mare Island in 1858 to gain immortal fame at the U.S. Civil War Battle of Mobile Bay. His cry of "Damn the Torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead" shall always remain among the most cherished of American Naval traditions. Mare Island's first ship, the paddle-wheeled gunboat Saginaw, was launched before the Civil War, in 1859. By 1866, the Mare Island fleet numbered nearly 700 ships. A Civil War era U.S. Army Post was established in late 1861, at the Mare Island Navy Yard, adjacent to Vallejo in San Francisco Bay. The purpose of the post was to guard against secessionist attacks. The USS Independence was docked in the Mare Island harbor, and used as a barracks for 25 soldiers and occasional marines. The expected attacks did not materialize and the guard was suspended after four months in early 1862. Built in 1873, the Mare Island Lighthouse was located on the north shore of San Pablo Bay at the entrance to Carquinez Strait; on the southern tip of Mare Island, adjacent to the town of Vallejo, California. The 76 foot square shaped tower lighthouse, constructed of wood and iron, was attached to the keeper's dwelling. The structure of the lighthouse was very similar to San Francisco’s East Brother Lighthouse. The fixed white light was provided by a fourth order Fresenl lens. The foghorn was a Gamewell fog bell striking apparatus No. 2, which was automated in 1916. The lighthouse was deactivated in 1917, and the lighthouse building and tower were razed in the 1930's. The small ferryboat Pinafore was built in Mare Island, and chugged between Mare Island and Vallejo for 30 years, starting in the 1890's. By 1892, the Mare Island Navy Yard included office buildings, Commandant's residence, Officer's Quarters, Marine Barracks and adjuncts, a Naval Hospital and accessories, Naval Magazine reservation and buildings, lighthouse reservation and buildings, stone drydock and buildings, receiving ship and cemetery reservation, foundry and machine shops; storehouse and workshops of the Department of Construction and Repairs; storehouse and workshops of the Department of Equipment and Repairs; yards, docks and workshops; Bureau of Navigation; store-house, sawmill, and stables. In 1900, 46 years after establishment of the Mare Island Navy Yard, the U.S. Navy purchased the first submarine, the USS Holland, named for its inventor John P. Holland. Following the purchase of the Holland, the Navy set out to build its first class of submarines, designated as the "A" class. Two of these submarines, A-3, the USS Grampus, and A-4, the USS Pike, were built commencing in December 1900, by Union Iron Works, a San Francisco company and subcontractor for the John P. Holland Torpedo Boat Company of New York. The USS Grampus, and USS Pike were launched in 1902, and were commissioned at the Mare Island Navy Yard in 1903. The two submarines were the first U.S. submarines stationed on the West Coast. Over the next three and a half years, Grampus and Pike operated out of the Mare Island-San Francisco area. These strange little craft were only sixty feet long, with an eleven-foot beam. The submarines, often called "divers", did most of their cruising in the shallow reaches of San Pablo Bay, and underwater trips were usually only a couple of hours long. The two submarines were ultimately assigned to the 1st Submarine Division, Pacific Torpedo Flotilla in 1910, and to the Pacific Fleet in 1911, operating locally off the California coast. In 1903, Mare Island Navy Yard also became a submarine repair center, adding a Submarine Training Center and Base to the ever expanding Navy Yard. Navy Yard Mare Island built its first submarine, the USS Nautilus (V-6), a five million dollar submarine, the first of its type to be constructed in the Yard. The Nautilus was authorized in 1916 and funded on February 11, 1925. The keel was laid on August 2, 1927. The USS Nautilus was launched on Saturday, March 15, 1930, becoming Mare Island's first in a long line of submarines that the Navy Yard Mare Island would build. Mare Island was selected by the Navy for construction of the only US West Coast built battleship, the USS California, which was launched in 1919. In 1940, the Navy bought the commercial docks at Hunter's Point and commenced development of the Naval Shipyard at Hunter's Point. Late in December 1941, Hunter's Point docks were completely taken over from the Bethleham Steel Company, and placed in operation as an Annex to the Navy Yard, Mare Island. On December 7, 1941, an urgent transmission came across the Fleet broadcast: AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR. THIS IS NO DRILL. Within the hour, Mare Island was transformed for war. The Yard's and harbor defenses were immediately manned and all leaves cancelled. Anti-aircraft batteries were hauled in by the Army from Fort Haan at Riverside. Guards were immediately doubled and the Navy immediately established a rigid censorship of all mail and communications. Marines at the Main Gate stopped every car even before they reached the guard house and conducted a complete search of every vehicle. In 1942, a Navy Direction Finding Station was established at Mare Island, on the site where the Mare Island Lighthouse had stood; located on the north shore of San Pablo Bay at the entrance to Carquinez Strait, on the southern tip of Mare Island. The station was manned by U.S. Navy Radiomen stationed at the U.S. Naval Radio Station, Mare Island. After WWII, in 1945, the U.S. Navy Direction Finding Station was closed, and a Navy Radio Beacon was installed. During World War II, Mare Island reached peak capacity for shipbuilding, repair, overhaul, and maintenance of many different kinds of seagoing vessels, including both surface combatants and submarines. Mare Island even received Royal Navy cruisers and destroyers and four Soviet Navy subs for service. During World War II, the Ship Yard set a record that was never broken, building the destroyer USS Ward, in 17 1/2 days. During World War II, it repaired 1,227 ships and built 391 new ships, including 17 submarines, 4 subtenders, 31 destroyer escorts, 33 small craft, and more than 300 landing craft. After World War II, in 1948, Mare Island was designated as a major overhaul and repair facility for submarines. In 1955, Mare Island was awarded the contract to build USS Sargo, the first nuclear submarine laid down at a Pacific base. The Sargo was commissioned in 1958. After the Sargo, Mare Island built seven more nuclear submarines: USS Scamp, USS Halibut, USS Permit, USS Plunger, USS Guitarro, USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Drum. During this time, Mare Island was also building non-nuclear subs such as two of the three Barracuda-class submarines and the USS Grayback, an early guided missile launcher. Mare Island was often assigned the task of overhaul and/or redesign of submarines built at other shipyards. In 1965, Mare Island Navy Yard and San Francisco Naval Shipyard were merged and renamed San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard. With sites at Mare Island and Hunters Point, it was the largest Naval Shipyard in the world. The San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard was disestablished in February, 1970, and Mare Island was recommissioned as the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Hunters Point was closed in 1973. In 1969, during the Vietnam War, the U.S. Navy transferred their Brown Water Navy Riverine Training Operations from Coronado, California to Mare Island. Motorists travelling along Highway 37 from the Vallejo/Fairfield areas to the Bay Area, which passes through Mare Island, could often view U.S. Navy Swift Boats (PCF- Patrol Craft Fast) and PBR's (Patrol Boat River), among other riverine type boats, maneuvering through the sloughs of the currently named Napa-Sonoma State Wildlife Area; which borders the north and west portions of Mare Island. U.S. Navy Reserve Units still operate the slough portions of the State Wildlife Area for training purposes, as the navigable waters are considered public property. The U.S. Navy Brown Water Riverine Forces deactivated after the Vietnam War, maintaining only the U.S. Naval Reserve PBR's and auxiliary craft at Mare Island, until the 1996 base closure; at which time the Reserve units moved to new facilities in Sacramento, California. 1970 saw the launching of USS Drum, the last ship built at Mare Island, and the last nuclear submarine built in California. In 1972, the Navy officially ceased building new nuclear submarines at Mare Island, though overhaul of existing vessels continued. The USS Nautilus was decommissioned at Mare Island in 1980, then rigged for towing back to Groton, Connecticut to serve as a museum of Naval history. In 1993, the Mare Island Naval Shipyard consisted of 996 buildings with 10.5 million square feet of space, 4 dry docks, 20 ship berths, 2 shipbuilding ways, 3 finger piers, 21 large industrial sites, a school, 2 day care centers, a medical clinic, 3 fire stations, a golf course, 2 athletic fields, 3 swimming pools, 9 tennis courts, a riding stables, and 416 housing units. Mare Island Naval Shipyard expanded to over 5,200 acres in its service life, and was responsible for construction of 512 Naval vessels and overhauling thousands of other vessels. Though it remained a strong contender for continued operations, Mare Island was identified for closure during the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process of 1993. Naval operations ceased and the facility was decommissioned on April 1, 1996. The California Conservation Corps, Touro University, and numerous commercial and industrial businesses are currently leasing property aboard the former Naval Ship Yard. Many of these businesses are still served via the California Northern Railroad (CFNR), which maintains rights to operate what was once over 100 miles of track used for transporting ship building supplies on the island. In May 2000, the Navy completed the transfer of a former housing area called Roosevelt Terrace using an economic development conveyance; a method to accelerate the transfer of BRAC facilities back to civilian communities for their economic benefit. The Navy is also transferring property at the Ship Yard to other government agencies such as Fish and Wildlife Service refuge, a Forest Service office building, an Army Reserve Center, a Coast Guard communications facility, and a Department of Education school. Navy Direction Finding Station, Mare Island, CA 1942 1945 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Mare Island, CA =================================================================================== Melbourne, Moorabbin, Victoria, Australia Melbourne (Aussie pronounciation mel' ben) is the second most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 3.74 million (2006 estimate). Located around Port Phillip Bay in the country's south-east, Melbourne is the state capital of Victoria. A person from Melbourne is officially called a Melburnian. Moorabbin is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia located approximately 16 kilometers southeast of the Melbourne Central Business District. Its Local Government Area is the City of Kingston. Most of the eastern side of Moorabbin has been an industrial area since the first development in the mid 1960s. Major industries with a presence in the area include Philip Morris and Coca-Cola. Moorabbin is also well known locally for its residential area built after World War II. While by name Moorabbin would appear to be home to the regional general airport Moorabbin Airport, the airport, also called the Harry Hawker Airport, is actually located in Mentone. Moorabbin is serviced by a variety of Metlink public transport bus and train services including Moorabbin Station. The word Moorabbin is believed to have come from the Wurundjeri Aboriginal word for "resting place". Melbourne is a major center of commerce, industry and cultural activity. The city is often referred to as Australia's "sporting and cultural capital", and it is home to many of the nation's most significant cultural and sporting events and institutions. It has been recognised as a global city by the Loughborough University group's 1999 inventory, Melbourne is notable for its mix of Victorian and contemporary architecture, its extensive tram network and Victorian parks and gardens, and its diverse, multicultural society. It was the host city of the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Melbourne was founded by free settlers in 1835, 47 years after the first European settlement of Australia, as a pastoral settlement situated around the Yarra River. Transformed rapidly into a major metropolis by the Victorian gold rush in the 1850s, "Marvellous Melbourne" became Australia's largest and most important city by 1865, but was overtaken by Sydney as the largest city in Australia during the early 20th century. Melbourne served as the capital city of Australia from the time of the new nation's Federation in 1901, until Federal Parliament moved to the new, purpose- built capital, Canberra, in 1927. The area of the Yarra River and Port Phillip that is now Melbourne was first settled by the British in 1835. These settlers came from Launceston, Tasmania (then known as Van Diemen's Land). The area was already inhabited by the indigenous Kulin people. A transaction was negotiated for 600,000 acres (2,400 square kilometers) of land from eight Wurundjeri chiefs; this was later annulled by the New South Wales government (then governing all of eastern mainland Australia), which compensated the settlers. In 1836, Governor Bourke declared the city the administrative capital of the Port Phillip District of New South Wales, and commissioned the first plan for the Hoddle Grid in 1837. The settlement was named Melbourne in the same year after the British Prime Minister William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, who resided in the village of Melbourne in Derbyshire. Melbourne was declared a city by Queen Victoria on June 25, 1847. The state of Victoria was established as a separate colony in 1851, with Melbourne as its capital. With the discovery of gold in Victoria in the 1850s, leading to the Victorian gold rush, Melbourne grew rapidly, providing the majority of service industries and serving as the major port for the region. The city became a major finance centre, home to several banks and to Australia's first stock exchange (founded in 1861). During the 1880s, Melbourne was one of the largest cities in the British Empire, and reputedly the richest city in the world. This period saw the construction of many high-rise Victorian buildings, Coffee Palaces, terrace housing, grand boulevards and gardens throughout the city. Examples of this Victorian architecture still abound in Melbourne. So impressed was journalist George Augustus Henry Sala during his visit in 1885, that he coined the phrase "Marvellous Melbourne" to describe the booming city, a phrase which stuck and is used by its locals and the media to this day. The brash boosterism which typified Melbourne during this time came to a halt in 1891 when a world economic depression hit the city's economy, sending the finance and property industries into chaos. The effects of the depression on the city were profound, although it did continue to grow slowly during the early 20th century. At the time of Australia's Federation on January 1, 1901, Melbourne was specified as the temporary seat of government and remained the national capital until 1927, when the Federal parliament was moved to the planned city of Canberra. The first Federal parliament was convened on May 9, 1901 in the Royal Exhibition Building. Melbourne was the Allied Pacific Headquarters during World War II, from 1942 to 1944. General Douglas MacArthur established his headquarters in Australia, as the launch base for Pacific operations. On December 8, 1941, the Japanese begin bombing the Philippines. On December 22, 1941, the Japanese invasion force landed at Lingayen, 100 miles west of Manila. Evacuations from Manilla commenced on December 24, 1941 and units moved to Corregidor. Most units were broken up, and personnel were dispersed. Those intercept operators that remained, opened a small intercept station in Corregidor's Malinta Tunnel. = On March 17, 1942, General MacArthur left the Philippines for Australia. U.S. Army and U.S. Navy Radio Intelligence Units evacuated from Corregidor on April 14, 1942, and were flown to Melbourne, Australia; where they joined MacArthur's operations there. Other units departed in the various evacuations conducted prior to the final fall of the island. General Douglas MacArthur escaped from Corregidor in the Philippines in a PT boat to Mindanao and flew to Australia from Del Monte on a B-17 Flying Fortress. He made his way to Melbourne, arriving there on March 22, 1942. One of his first decisions when he arrived in Melbourne was to expand the Signals Intelligence operations that already existed in Australia. The U.S. Navy Radio Intelligence Unit that had been evacuated from Manila in early January, 1942 was operating in Melbourne. MacArthur released orders for a joint American-Australian Signals Intelligence organization called Central Bureau to be established, with its headquarters based in Melbourne. General MacArthur advised Washington of his decision in a despatch on April 1, 1942. He described the role of the group as "the interception and cryptanalyzing of Japanese intelligence". American interceptor operators, who had survived the Malinta Tunnel at Corregidor, were brought to Australia by submarine. A group of cryptographic, cryptanalytic and translator personnel, from the Japanese section of the Washington Signal Intelligence Service, were also moved to Australia. Initially, Central Bureau was made up of 50% American, 25% Australian Army and 25% Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) personnel. By July 6, 1942, the intercept operator numbers at Central Bureau had increased from six to twenty nine. On July 20, 1942, General MacArthur moved his Headquarters to Brisbane. Central Bureau immediately relocated to Brisbane. The U.S. Navy Comunications Radio Intelligence Unit, that had evacuated to Corregidor in January, 1942; evacuated yet again to Melbourne on April 14, 1942. In May, 1942, Fleet Radio Unit Pacific (FRUPAC) Detachment, Melbourne (later FRUMEL), and the U.S. Navy Comunications Radio Intelligence Unit, Melbourne were activated at the U.S. Naval Supplementary Radio Station, at the town of Moorabbin, approximately 16 kilometers southeast of Melbourne. Fleet Radio Unit, Melbourne (FRUMEL) was a U.S.-Australian-British signals intelligence unit, based in Melbourne, Australia during World War II. It was one of two major Allied signals intelligence units in the Pacific theatres, the other being FRUPAC (also known as Station Hypo), in Hawaii. FRUMEL was an inter-navy organiZation, subordinate to the Commander of the U.S Seventh Fleet, while the separate Central Bureau in Melbourne was attached to the Allied South West Pacific Area command headquarters. FRUMEL was established at the Montery Apartments in Queens Road, in early 1942, and was made up of three main groups. First was a 75-man codebreaker unit, previously based at the U.S. Navy's Station Cast, in the Philippines, before being evacuated by submarine on April 8, 1942. The second was a small Royal Australian Navy-supported cryptography unit, which had moved to the Montery Apartments from Victoria Barracks in February, 1942. The U.S. Navy unit was made up of a core of Naval personnel, heavily assisted by university academics and graduates specialising in linguistics and mathematics. The third group was a trio of British Foreign Office linguists and Royal Navy support staff, evacuated from Singapore. During World War II, Melbourne industries thrived on wartime production and the city became Australia's leading manufacturing center. After the war, Melbourne expanded rapidly, with its growth boosted by an influx of immigrants and the prestige of hosting the Olympic Games. Australia's mining boom between 1969 and 1970 proved beneficial to Melbourne, with the headquarters of many of the major companies (BHP, Rio Tinto and many others) based in the city. Nauru's booming mineral economy fuelled several ambitious investments in Melbourne such as Nauru House. Melbourne remained Australia's business and finance capital until the late 1970s, when it began to lose this primacy to Sydney. Melbourne experienced the worst of Victoria's economic slump between 1989 to 1992. In 1992, a newly elected Victorian government began a campaign to restore the economy with an aggressive development campaign of public works and major events centred on Melbourne and the promotion of the city as a tourist destination. Major projects included the Melbourne Museum, Federation Square, the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, Crown Casino and CityLink tollway. Other strategies included the privatization of some of Melbourne's services including power and public transport, and a reduction in funding to public services such as health and education. Since 1997, Melbourne has maintained significant population and employment growth. There has been substantial international investment in the city's industries and property market, and 2006 figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that since 2000, Melbourne has sustained the highest population and economic growth rate of any Australian capital city. Navy Comunications Radio Intelligence Unit, Manilla, Dec 1940 Jan 1942 Luzon, Philippines Evacuated to Corregidor Navy Comunications Radio Intelligence Unit, Corregidor, Jan 1942 14 Apr 1942 Luzon, Philippines Evacuated to Melbourne, Australia 14 Apr 1942 Fleet Radio Unit Pacific (FRUPAC) Detachment, May 1942 01 Nov 1945 Melbourne (FRUMEL), Australia Navy Comunications Radio Intelligence Unit, Melbourne May 1942 01 Nov 1945 at Naval Supplementary Radio Station Moorabbin, Melbourne, Australia =================================================================================== Morotai Island, Netherlands East Indies, Indonesia Morotai Island is an island with an area of 695 square miles, located in the Halmahera group of eastern Indonesia's Maluku Islands (Moluccas). It is part of North Maluku province, and is one of Indonesia's most northerly islands. During the 15th and 16th centuries, Morotai was generally within the sphere of influence of the powerful sultanate on the island of Ternate. It was the core of a larger region, called Moro, that included the island and the coastline of Halmahera closest to Morotai to the south. The Maluku Islands (also known as the Moluccas, Moluccan Islands, the Spice Islands or simply Maluku) are an archipelago in Indonesia, and part of the larger Malay Archipelago. They are located on the Australian Plate, lying east of Sulawesi (Celebes), west of New Guinea, and north of Timor. The islands were also historically known as the "Spice Islands" by the Chinese and Europeans, but this term has also been applied to other islands. Netherlands East Indies (present day Indonesia) was first named "Indonesia" by a German geographer in 1884, although this name is thought to derive from Indos Nesos, "Indian Islands," in the ancient trading language of the region. The Portuguese conquered Malacca in the early sixteenth century and their lasting influence was most strongly felt in Maluku and other parts of eastern Indonesia. Following the Portuguese conquest of Malacca in August, 1511, Afonso de Albuquerque learned the route to the Banda Islands and other 'Spice Islands', and sent an exploratory expedition of three vessels under the command of Antonio de Abreu, Simão Afonso Bisigudo and Francisco Serrão. On the way to return, Francisco Serrão was shipwrecked at Hitu island (northern Ambon) in 1512. There he established ties with the local ruler who was impressed with his martial skills. The rulers of the competing island states of Ternate and Tidore also sought Portuguese assistance and were welcomed in the area as buyers of food and spices during a lull in the spice trade due to a temporary disruption to Javanese and Malay sailings to the area following the 1511 conflicts in Malacca. In the mid-16th century, the island was also the site of a Portuguese Jesuit mission. The Muslim states on Ternate and Halmahera resented the outpost for its proselytising activities, and managed to drive the mission from the island in 1571, as a part of a larger Portuguese retreat in the region. In the 17th century, Ternate further exerted its power over Morotai by repeatedly forcing major parts of the population to move off the island. Early in the century most of the population was moved to Dodinga, a small town in a strategic spot on Halmahera's west coast. The Dutch arrived in 1599 and reported native discontent with Portuguese attempts to monopolise their traditional trade. After the Ambonese helped the Dutch to construct a fort at Hitu Larna, the Portuguese begun a campaign of retribution against which the Ambonese invited Dutch aid. After 1605 Frederik Houtman became the first Dutch governor of Ambon. The Dutch East-India Company was a company with three obstacles in its way: the Portuguese, controlling the aboriginal populations, and the British. Again smuggling would be the only alternative to a European monopoly. Later, in 1627 and 1628, Sultan Hamzah of Ternate had much of the Christian population of the island moved to Malayu, on Ternate, where they could be more easily controlled. Though other races re-settled the Banda Islands, the rest of Maluku remained uneasy under foreign control and even after the Portuguese had a new trading station at Macassar there were native revolts in 1636 and 1646. Under company control northern Maluka was administered by the Dutch residency of Ternate, and the southern by "Amboyna" (Ambon). Through the end of the 16th century, and the beginning of the 17th century, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, and Britain repeated disputes over the rights and interests of spices, and the residents in Maluku Islands were involved in the conflicts. Those conflicts were called "Spice Wars". Therefore, the history of spices in Maluku Islands was written in the blood of the inhabitants of islands. Among other events of the 17th century, the Bandanese attempted independent trade with the British, the East- India Company's response was to decimate the native population of the Banda Islands sending the survivors fleeing to other islands and installing slave labor. On March 17, 1824, The British and Dutch signed the "Treaty of London" and divided the Indies. The Dutch claim Sumatra, Java, Maluku, Irian Jaya; the British claimed Malaya and Singapore, and retained an interest in North Borneo. Many of the boundaries defined in this treaty, would later become the boundaries of the Republic of Indonesia. Morotai Island was taken by the Japanese during World War II, and a Japanese airbase was erected. During the Japanese occupation in World War II, the Moluccans fled to the mountains, but began a campaign of resistance also known as the South Moluccan Brigade. Morotai Island was taken by American forces in September, 1944. A Navy Direction Finding Station was established on Morotai Island in September, 1944. The Maluku Islands were used as a staging point for the Allied invasion of the Philippines, in early 1945. The Navy Radio Direction Finding Station on Morotai Island was abandoned on February 3, 1945. The unit personnel were transferred to the Navy Direction Finding Station Leyte, Naval Supplementary Radio Station (DF) Leyte, in the Philippines; which was established on July 16, 1945. The Maluku Islands were also used as a staging point the Allied invasions of Borneo in May and June of 1945; and as bases for the planned October, 1945 invasion of Java that was cancelled after the Japanese surrendered in August, 1945. With the end of the Second World War in 1945, the island's political leaders had successful discussions with the Netherlands about independence. Indonesia declared independence from the Netherlands in August, 1945; and claimed West Papua, East Timor, Sarawak, Brunei and North Borneo as part of its territory. Complicated by Indonesian demands, the Round Table Conference Agreements were signed in 1949, transferring Maluku to Indonesia. On December 27, 1949 Indonesia gained full independence from the Netherlands. The Maluku Islands formed a single province from 1950 until 1999. In 1999 the North Maluku (Maluku Utara) and Halmahera Tengah (Central Halmahera) regency were split off as a separate province, so the islands are now divided between two provinces, Maluku and North Maluku. Between 1999 and 2002 they were known for religious conflicts between Muslims and Christians, but have been peaceful in the past years. Navy Direction Finding Station, Morotai Island Sep 1944 03 Feb 1945 Transferred to Navy Direction Finding Station, Naval Supplentary Radio Station (DF) Leyte, P.I. =================================================================================== Muirkirk, Maryland Muirkirk is a locality in central Maryland in the United States, located between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. It is located along U.S. Route 1 between Beltsville and Laurel, and it contains a stop on the MARC commuter rail (on the Camden line). Muirkirk is located in the northern part of Prince George's County. Naval Supplementary Radio Station (DF RI) Muirkirk, MD Sep 1942 ?? ??? ?? Counter Intelligence (CI) Research Station established Sep 1942 East Coast Equipment Research Station ================================================================================== New Dungeness, Washington The New Dungeness Light Station, built in 1857, is the second oldest lighthouse in Washington state. It marks the end of Dungeness Spit, the longest natural sand spit in the world, extending approximately six miles northeast from the mainland into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. From the sea, this low-lying sandy shoal is barely visible, making it an extreme hazard to shipping. Even with a beacon and fog signal, numerous vessels have run aground there. Located in Clallam County, the New Dungeness Lighthouse continues to be an important aid to navigation in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. New Dungeness Spit is situated on the Olympic Peninsula in northeastern Clallam County, approximately 12 miles east of Port Angeles and five miles north of Sequim. On July 8, 1790, the Spanish explorer Manuel Quimper landed here and named the bluff behind the spit, Punta de Santa Cruz and the bay, Puerto de Quimper. Captain George Vancouver (1758-1798) of the British Navy named this area New Dungeness on April 30, 1792, because he thought this low sandy point of land resembled Dungeness, a low promontory that lies at the southernmost point of Kent in the Straits of Dover. The S’Klallam Indians called New Dungeness Spit, Tsi-tsa-kwick and the bay, Tses-kut. Local residents named one arm of the long sandbar Graveyard Spit because 17 Tsimshian (Chimsean) Indians from British Columbia were supposedly buried there following a massacre by S’Klallam Indians in 1868. Mariners nicknamed the barely visible sandbar Shipwreck Spit for good reason, as numerous vessels had run aground on the outside beach. A local name for the New Dungeness area was Whiskey Flat. In 1848, the Congressional Act that created the Oregon Territory specified Cape Disappointment and New Dungeness as potential sites for a lighthouses. In 1850, Congress appropriated funds for the U.S. Lighthouse Establishment to build 16 lighthouses on the West Coast, but the Treasury Department re-allocated most of those funds into other projects. In August, 1854, Congress allotted $39,000 to build lighthouses at both Cape Flattery and New Dungeness. In 1855, the U.S. Coast Survey recommended the lighthouse be located on New Dungeness Spit. Further delays were caused in the mid-1950s by Indian hostilities. Under the supervision of Lighthouse Service engineer Isaac Smith and the Army Corps of Engineers, construction of the light station near the tip of New Dungeness Spit began in 1856. With inclement weather and the difficulty of getting supplies to the remote site, it took Smith a year and a half to complete the project. The lighthouse, designed by renowned U.S. Lighthouse Service architect Ammi B. Young, was a one-and-a- half-story Cape Cod style keeper's dwelling with a conical tower rising from the center. The lighthouse foundation was built of two-foot thick Chuckanut Sandstone blocks shipped from Bellingham. Bricks and stucco were used to finish the structure. When completed, the light tower rose 91 feet above the spit, and 100 feet above sea level. The lower half of the tower was painted white and the upper half black, making it an effective day marker. The tower, surmounted by a red lantern, was equipped with a fixed third-order Fresnel Lens made in 1855 by Henri LePaute of Paris. The new beacon was said to be visible for 18 miles. The lighthouse dwelling remained unpainted. A fog bell was located northeast of the lighthouse on the outer extremity of the point. The 1,200-pound bronze bell was cast in 1855 at the J. Bernhard foundry in Philadelphia. The striking mechanism, housed in the fog signal building, was a 1,440-pound device called a Gamewell Fog Bell Striking Apparatus, manufactured by the John N. Gamewell Company, Newton, Massachusetts. The Gamewell apparatus used a complex system of descending weights to ring the bell with a sledgehammer, and had to be rewound every 45 minutes. Unfortunately, the apparatus was unreliable and often broke down, requiring the light keepers to strike the bell manually with hammers for endless hours. During foggy weather at New Dungeness, the bell was supposed ring five times at intervals of 10 seconds. One disadvantage of the site in early years was the lack of fresh water, which had to be barged two and a half miles from the town of New Dungeness. This was somewhat remedied by installing a water shed and cistern to collect rainwater. Other facilities built at the station included a privy and a boathouse, as almost all of the travel to the mainland was accomplished by small boat. The New Dungeness Lighthouse was commissioned on December 14, 1857, two weeks ahead of its near twin at Cape Flattery on Tatoosh Island. Franklin Tucker and John Tibbals of Port Townsend were temporarily assigned to tend the New Dungeness light until Captain Thomas Boyling, the assigned lighthouse keeper, and Henry H. Blake (1837-1871), his assistant, arrived back from California. Captain Boyling was master of the schooner Williamantic hauling lumber from Port Ludlow to San Francisco; Blake may have been a crew member. They arrived at New Dungeness on February 11, 1858, to relieve Tucker and Tibbals. Captain Boyling apparently decided he preferred being a sea captain to being responsible for a remote lighthouse, for as of March 1, 1858, Henry H. Blake was listed as the principal keeper at the New Dungeness Light Station. The 1860 U.S. Census for Clallam County shows Henry H. Blake, age 23, as the light keeper and his brother Walter J. Blake, age 18, as the assistant keeper at the New Dungeness Lighthouse; Boyling is not listed. Henry Blake was officially relieved of his duties by Jacob J. Rodgers (or Rogers) on September 18, 1868, but apparently didn’t leave the station right away. Consequently, the Blakes were still living at the New Dungeness Light Station when the Dungeness Massacre, the last major bloodletting among the Indians in this area, took place. Just before dawn on September 21, 1868, a band of 26 S’Klallam Indians conducted a raid on a party of 18 Tsimshian Indians camped on New Dungeness Spit waiting for daylight and good weather before making the 22-mile journey north, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Vancouver Island. During the attack, 17 Tsimshians were killed and one, a pregnant woman, was wounded and left for dead. The injured woman managed to make it to the lighthouse, where the Blakes gave her refuge. Later, Henry Blake took the woman to the home of Benjamin Rainey, whose wife was from the Tsimshian tribe. The Tsimshian murder victims were buried on a branch of the spit that became known as Graveyard Spit. After about six weeks, the woman recovered her health and was sent home to Fort Simpson, near Prince Rupert, B.C., aboard the Hudson's Bay Company steamer Otter. Henry Blake and family apparently left New Dungeness Spit sometime after the massacre, relieved by Jacob J. Rodgers, his wife Ester, and George K. Smith and his daughters Mary and Ella. The 1870 U.S. Census for Clallam County shows that Ester E. Rodgers and Mary L. Smith were assistant lighthouse keepers at New Dungeness and Henry Blake took up logging for a living. He died in 1871 in Port Townsend. On December 2, 1871, the Pacific Northwest was struck by gale winds causing a large breach to occur in the New Dungeness Spit west of the light station and washing away 100 feet of beach on the eastern tip. The lighthouse was now temporarily situated on a island. Eventually, silt from the New Dungeness River and sand washed up from the Strait of Juan de Fuca filled in the gap and the light station became accessible by land once again. Weather has always been an important factor for the New Dungeness Light Station, eroding beaches and damaging structures. In the near past, the spit has been breached by storms in 1971, 1975, 1993, 1996, and 1997. In 1873, Congress appropriated $8,000 for an improved fog signal. In 1874, a fog signal building, housing a coal-fired boiler and steam-operated 12-inch fog whistle, was built 450 feet northeast of the lighthouse. A large water shed and two additional cisterns, with a capacity of 35,000 gallons, were built to collect fresh rain water for the steam whistle’s boiler. The whistle blew 600 to 700 hours per year and the keepers had to feed the boiler about 40 gallons of water and 200 pounds of coal for every hour of operation. Recognizing the difficulty of moving tons of coal from the beach one quarter mile to the coal house and tending the fog whistle, the Lighthouse Board assigned a second assistant keeper to the New Dungeness Light Station and built a tramway connecting the beach and boathouse to the fog signal building and lighthouse, making it easier to move supplies in bulk. But ships continued to run aground on New Dungeness Spit. From the time that records began being kept in the 1850s, over 20 ships have been wrecked there. Many of the vessels that merely ran aground with no significant damage, were refloated at high tide and never recorded. In April 1880, the New Dungeness fog bell and striking apparatus were moved to the Point No Point Light Station and put into service and the old fog signal building was razed. In 1884, the original lard-oil lamp was replaced with a Haines kerosene lamp. In 1894, the Lighthouse Service built a separate corrugated iron oil house to store the flammable kerosene and moved the boathouse and tramway west of the original site. With three station keepers assigned to New Dungeness Spit, housing was tight. In 1895, the Lighthouse Service requested funding for a new house for the head station keeper. By 1900, the Lighthouse Board reported that four keepers were now billeted at the New Dungeness Light Station and a new dwelling was urgently needed. Finally in April 1904, Congress appropriated funds for the project. In January 1905, a large Georgian Style, one-and-a-half story, three-bedroom house was finished at a cost of about $5,000. In 1906, the original lighthouse keeper's dwelling was remodeled and converted into a duplex with a new wing added. Also, a new wharf with a boathouse was constructed. In 1907, a new fog-signal building was constructed to house two 25-horsepower kerosene engines and air compressors for two six-inch fog sirens to replace the old steam whistle. In 1915, President Woodrow Wilson declared the New Dungeness Spit area to be a wild bird reservation with public access permitted. Today, the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, under the management and protection of the Department of Agriculture, Fish and Wildlife Service, provides a habitat for hundreds of species of birds as well as land and marine mammals. Portions of the refuge, to include Graveyard Spit, are closed to provide sanctuary for wildlife during critical feeding, resting, and nesting times. In 1922, the U.S. Navy built a Radio Compass Station near the light. This new aid-to- navigation broadcasted radio signals from Cattle Point, Smith Island, and New Dungeness to enable navigation through the worst weather using triangulation. The Navy built a radio tower, transmitting station, concrete power house, and living quarters for the sailors assigned to operate the radio compass. The Radio Compass Station was closed in 1936, and a Navy Radio Beacon was installed. In the 1920s, cracks in the 91-foot light tower’s masonry work began developing due to natural deterioration and the concussions from Canadian artillery guns conducting target practice at Esquimalt on Vancouver Island. As a result, the tower became unsafe and a major renovation was necessary. In 1927, under the supervision of Lighthouse Service engineer Clarence Sherman, the tower was reduced in height to 63 feet. This drastic change necessitated a new iron lantern and lens. The remodeled lighthouse was painted the traditional white with a red roof and sea- green trim. Some of the original bricks removed from the old tower can stil be found scattered around the grounds. In 1930, an artesian well 665 feet deep was drilled on the spit between the lighthouse and head keeper’s house, providing the light station with a constant supply of fresh water. In 1934, the Lighthouse Service constructed a cement transformer building and laid an armored marine cable across New Dungeness bay, bringing electricity to the light station. The incandescent oil vapor lamp illuminating the lantern was replaced with a 120-watt electric bulb. On July 7, 1939, Congress eliminated the Bureau of Lighthouses and the U.S. Lighthouse Service, transferring the responsibility for lighthouses and aids to navigation to the U.S. Coast Guard. The civilian lighthouse keepers were allowed to remain in their jobs until retirement. They were gradually replaced with Coast Guard personnel who were generally assigned to lighthouse duty for only one year until rotated to sea duty. During World War II (1941-1945) Radio Direction Finder equipment was installed on the spit to replace the radio beacon installed by the U.S. Navy in 1936. In addition to patrolling the beaches, the Coast Guard built and staffed a 35-foot watch tower northeast of the light station to watch for suspicious activity in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. In November 1975, the U.S. Coast Guard automated the lighthouse and fog signal on New Dungeness Spit. After automation, staffing at the light station was reduced from three keepers to one keeper and his family living in the 1905 keeper's house. The brick lighthouse dwelling was vacated and has not been occupied since that time. The station keeper was relegated to maintaining the buildings and grounds, and to conducting tours. In 1980, Seaman Jeni Burr, assigned to the New Dungeness Light Station with her husband Eric, was one of only two Coast Guard women ever assigned as a lighthouse keeper. On November 11, 1993, the New Dungeness Light Station was officially designated as an historic place by the Washington State Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and listed on the Washington Heritage Register. On this same date, the light station was added to the National Register of Historic Places, maintained by the National Park Service. In March 1994, the Coast Guard decided to close the New Dungeness Light Station, leaving Boston Lighthouse (established 1716) the last remaining Coast Guard staffed lighthouse in the country. Seaman Seth Jackson and his wife Michelle were the last government keepers at New Dungeness. The Coast Guard planned to board up the lighthouse, keepers' quarters and outbuildings to keep out vandals during the search for a permanent caretaker. Fortunately, the New Dungeness Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society had been organized and agreed to accept stewardship of the 32.5-acre reservation. The Coast Guard issued the U.S. Lighthouse Society a license beginning in September 1994, to staff and maintain the facility, but retained control of the light, foghorns, and other navigational aids. In the interim, the local Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteered to keep the light station open. On September 3, 1994, the U.S. Lighthouse Society began to staff the station year-round, 24 hours a day, with their lighthouse keepers program. The Chapter reincorporated in 2001 as the New Dungeness Light Station Association. Enthusiasts who join the New Dungeness Light Station Association can pay a fee and become lighthouse keepers for one week. The proceeds go toward the restoration and maintenance of the buildings. Up to seven volunteer keepers are taken to the light station at low tide in a four-wheel drive vehicle, along with personal effects and provisions for one week. The keepers are responsible for cleaning and maintaining the buildings, keeping the grounds in good condition, maintaining the logbooks, and conducting tours. Fire has always been one of the greatest dangers at any light station. At about 9:00 p.m., July 11, 1999, New Dungeness volunteer lighthouse keepers noticed smoke from a driftwood fire about a mile and a half down the beach and went up to the lantern room to gauge how fast the fire was spreading. The fire, fueled by scrub vegetation, driftwood and a westerly 30-knot wind, appeared to be rapidly approaching the light station. They immediately notified authorities and sensibly set about turning on all the lawn sprinklers between the barn and the metal helicopter pad to wet down the first place the fire would most likely reach. Within an hour of reporting it, the fire had progressed to within 100 yards of the light station. The Coast Guard responded from nearby Port Angeles with two helicopters to evacuate the eight volunteers, but had to land behind the station as the landing pad was surrounded by fire. The National Park Service sent 19 firefighters to the spit by boat who were able to contain the fire until it ran off the end of the spit. Remarkably, the volunteers who set the sprinklers saved the buildings by causing the fire to burn around the station’s 1-acre grounds. Although the buildings had smoke damage, none were lost. In 2005, all the systems at New Dungeness are monitored by computer at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Port Angeles, but maintenance of the light, foghorn, and navigational equipment is the responsibility of the Coast Guard’s Aids to Navigation Branch located at Pier 36 in Seattle. Despite advances in navigation, including the Global Positioning Satellite System (GPSS), there is still a real need for the New Dungeness light and fog signal, especially for smaller, less sophisticated vessels. The New Dungeness Lighthouse remains essentially the same as when it was remodeled in 1927. The Georgian-Style head keeper's house, built in 1905, has been restored to its original condition. The lighthouse and buildings are all painted the traditional white with red roofs and sea-green trim. The light station, originally built about 800 feet from the spit’s end, now sits over one-half mile west of the tip. The peninsula continues to grow 15 to 30 feet each year as silt from the New Dungeness River and sand accumulate at the east end. Access to the New Dungeness Light Station is limited to hikers at low tide and boaters who can land on the beach. From the Dungeness Recreation Area parking lot, it’s a strenuous five and a half mile trek through the Dungeness Wildlife Refuge to reach the lighthouse, with only about 10 percent of the hikers making it there. Nevertheless, since 1994 the lighthouse has logged well over 35,000 visitors, who are always welcome. U.S. Navy Radio Compass Station, New Dungeness, WA 1922 1936 Navy Direction Finding Station, New Dungeness, WA 1941 1945 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, New Dungeness, WA ================================================================================== Newport Beach, California Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, 10 miles south of downtown Santa Ana. The current metropolitan designation for Newport Beach and the Orange County Area is Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA. As of 2007, the population was 84,218. The city is home to several well known communities and recent annexations, including Balboa Island (1916), Corona del Mar (1923), San Joaquin Hills (2002), Santa Ana Heights (2002), and Newport Coast (2002). The city is bordered to the west by Huntington Beach at the Santa Ana River, on the north side by Costa Mesa, John Wayne Airport, and Irvine and on the east side by Crystal Cove State Park. The Upper Newport Bay was carved out by the prehistoric flow of the Santa Ana River. It feeds the delta that is the Back Bay, and eventually joins Newport Harbor. In the mid 1700's, the Spanish aristocrat and military leader Gasper de Portola led an exposition to claim California frontier land for Spain. Portola enlisted the aid of Father Junipero Serra and numerous European soldiers to explore previously unmapped territory. Decades later in the 1800's, land holdings of the Capistrano Mission were parceled out as Spanish and Mexican land grants to war heroes and aristocratic families. Later, many Spanish and Mexican landowners were forced to sell large tracts of their land. The most prominent landowners of the area, whose combined holdings comprised Newport Beach's upper bay and lower bay, sold their tracts to American entrepreneurs. Santa Ana, Tustin and Orange became new farming communities for the settlers, who arrived by steamer and covered wagon. Not long after, hide and tallow businesses emerged. The first stirring of commerce began in 1870, when a small stern wheeler from San Diego named "The Vaquero" made its first trip to a marshy lagoon, to exchange lumber for hides, tallow and livestock. Ranch owners in the Lower Bay decided that the area would be called Newport. In 1888, the settlement was changed by building a wharf that extended from the shallow bay of the peninsula to deeper water where large steamers could dock. Shipping activity increased dramatically, and in two years, Newport was known as a vibrant Southern California shipping town. In 1905, city development increased when Pacific Electric Railroad established a southern terminus in Newport, connecting the beach with downtown Los Angeles. In 1906, with a population of 206 citizens, the scattered settlements were incorporated as the City of Newport Beach. Settlements filled in on the Peninsula, West Newport, Balboa Island and Lido Isle. Between 1934 and 1936, the federal government and Orange County undertook work around the harbor. They dredged the Lower Bay, extended jetties, and created the present day contour of Newport Beach. In 1936, community members dedicated the city's main harbor, named Newport Harbor. During World War II, the harbor became a vital hub, as Naval ships were built and repaired in Newport Beach coastal waters. At the end of the war, many service men and women decided to stay, triggering a real estate boom in Newport Beach. Navy Direction Finding Site, Newport Beach, CA at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Newport Beach, CA ================================================================================== North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles. North Hollywood, like most of the rest of the San Fernando Valley, was once part of the vast landholdings of the Franciscan Mission San Fernando Rey de España, which were confiscated by the government during the Mexican period of rule. The Treaty of Cahuenga, which ended the U.S.-Mexican fighting in California was signed at Tomás Feliz's adobe house at Campo de Cahuenga, on Lankershim Boulevard, in January, 1847. In the late 1800s, the Southern Pacific Railroad opened a branch line from downtown Los Angeles to the Valley. In 1895, the Chatsworth Limited made one stop a day in Toluca, although that name was in conflict with a sign on the new station which read Lankershim. With the Post Office across the street called Toluca, controversy over the town’s name continued and the local ranchers used to quip, "Ship the merchandise to Lankershim, but bill it to Toluca." The area formerly known as Lankershim was subsequently renamed North Hollywood, in an effort to capitalize on the glamour and proximity of Hollywood proper. Naval Monitoring Station, North Hollywood, CA ================================================================================== North Island, Georgetown, South Carolina North Island is an island off the mainland, southeast of Georgetown and directly south of Debidue Island, which contains a 7-mile strand of beach in front of dunes, that reach heights of about 25 feet. The entrance to Winyan Bay is flanked by North Island, South Island and Cat Island. The inland port of Georgetown was named in honor of England’s King George I, and was designated an official port in 1732. By the time the Revolution took place, Georgetown was an important center of commerce. At one time, it was the site of the second largest rice culture the world has known. Georgetown is the third oldest city in South Carolina and the county seat of Georgetown County. Located on Winyah Bay at the confluence of the Great Pee Dee River, Waccamaw River, and Sampit River, Georgetown is the second largest seaport in South Carolina, handling over 960,000 tons of materials a year. As of the census of 2000, Georgetown had a population of 8,950. Georgetown, South Carolina occupies a unique place in American history. In fact, some historians claim that American history began here in 1526, with the earliest settlement in North America by Europeans with African slaves. It is believed that in that year the Spanish, under Lucas Vásquez de Ayllón, founded a colony on Waccamaw Neck called San Miguel de Guadalupe. For multiple reasons, the colony failed, including a likely fever epidemic and a revolt of African slaves, who went to live with the Cofitachiqui Indians in the area. Having failed as farmers, the surviving Spanish sailed to the Spice Islands of the Caribbean on a ship built from local cypress and oak trees. After settling Charles Town in 1670, the English established trade with the Indians and the trading posts in the outlying areas quickly became settlements. By 1721, the petition for a new parish, Prince George, Winyah, on Black River was granted. In 1734, Prince George, Winyah was divided and the newly created Prince Frederick Parish came to occupy the church at Black River. Prince George Parish, Winyah then encompassed the new town of Georgetown on the Sampit River. In 1729, Elisha Screven laid the plan for Georgetown and developed the city in a four-by-eight block grid. Referred to as the "Historic District", the original grid city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and still bears the original street names, lot numbers, and many of the original homes. The Indian trade declined soon after Georgetown was established and indigo became the cash crop with rice as a secondary crop. Agricultural profits were so great between 1735-1775, that in 1757, the Winyah Indigo Society, whose members paid dues in indigo, opened and maintained the first public school between Charles Town and Wilmington. When the American Revolution erupted, Georgetown played a large part by sending both Thomas Lynch, Sr. and Thomas Lynch, Jr. to sign the Declaration of Independence. Later in the war, Marquis de Lafayette arrived in Georgetown from France to help the Colonists in the war against England. During the final years of the conflict, Georgetown was an important port for supplying General Nathanael Greene's army. Francis Marion (the Swamp Fox) led many guerrilla actions in this vicinity. Following the American Revolution, rice became the staple crop. It required the low land along the rivers for cultivation and thus the rice plantations were established around Georgetown on its six rivers. By 1840, the Georgetown District (later County) produced nearly one-half of the total rice crop of the U.S. This wealth produced an aristocratic way of living featuring lovely homes, elegant furniture, gracious hospitality and a leisurely lifestyle for a selected few that lasted until 1860. Many of these plantations are still standing today. Georgetown and Georgetown County suffered terribly during Reconstruction (1865-1876). The rice crops of 1866-88 were failures due to disrupted labor patterns, lack of capital and inclement weather. Rice continued to be grown commercially until about 1910, but never on the scale or with the profits attained before 1860. After the reconstruction period ended, Georgetown turned to wood products for its economic survival, and by 1900, there were several lumber mills in operation on the Sampit River. The largest was the Atlantic Coast Lumber Company, which provided a much needed boost to the local economy. Like most cities, Georgetown suffered great economic deprivation during the Great Depression. The Atlantic Coast Lumber Company went bankrupt early in the depression, putting almost everyone out of work. In 1936, help arrived. In that year the Southern Kraft Division of the International Paper Company opened a mill, which by 1944 was the largest in the world. In recent years, the economy has become more diversified. A steel mill has located here, tourism has become a booming business and many retirees have chosen to settle here. The Georgetown Lighthouse (North Island Light) is located on North Island at the on the northern side of the entrance to Winyan Bay, twrlve miles off the coast from the city of Georgetown, in South Carolina. It was established in 1801, and first lit in 1801. The Georgetown Lighthouse is one of the oldest in the Southeast U.S., and is the oldest active lighthouse in South Carolina. See the excellent overhead view at the following link: . On December 12, 1795, seven acres of land was acquired on North Island for a lighthouse for the harbor of Georgetown. The first tower was a 72 foot, cyorus wood pyramidal tower. Also constructed was a two-story keeper’s dwelling along with an oil storage tank. The wooden tower was destroyed by gale force winds, during a storm in 1806. Construction of a new brick conical tower of the same heighth commenced in 1811, and was completed 1812. In 1855, a fourth order Fresnel lens was installed. The lighthouse tower sustained severe damage during the Civil War, when it was used by Confederate forces as an observation tower. It was captured by Union forces in May, 1862. As part of the post-war repairs, the structure was raised to 87 feet. Painted white tower with a black lantern room, the rebuilt lighthouse was first lit in 1867. Automated in 1986, keepers were no longer required. The light station was leased to the state of South Ccaroplina in 1988, as part of a juvenile detention and rehabilitation center, but plans for this center were abandoned in 1990. Replaced by a solar powered modern optic in 1999, the fourth order Fresnel lens was removed and is on display at the Coast Guard station in Georgetown. The original oil house (1890) and boathouse (1894) remain standing. The lighthouse is an operational U.S. Coast Guard Active Aid to Navigation, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In early 2001, The Georgetown Lighthouse station was transferred to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, which already owned the rest of the island as the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Preserve. The lighthouse property is now part of a State Preserve managed by the South Carolina Heritage Trust, although the light continues to be maintained by the Coast Guard. Navy Direction Finding Station, North Island, SC at U.S. Naval Radio Station, North Island, SC ================================================================================== North Truro, Massachusetts Truro is a town in Barnstable County. Located two hours outside Boston, it is a summer vacation community just shy of the tip of Cape Cod. Truro is located just south and east of the "tip" of Cape Cod, and is bordered by Provincetown to the northwest, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and east, Wellfleet to the south, and Cape Cod Bay to the west. The town is thirty-eight miles by road to Barnstable, fifty miles from the Sagamore Bridge and 105 miles by road from Boston. It is named after Truro in Cornwall, England. Its name among the natives of Cape Cod was Pamet or Payomet, a name that still refers to an area around the town center known as the Pamet Roads. The population was 2,087 at the 2000 census. Truro is comprised of two villages, Truro and North Truro. Barnstable County is a county located in Massachusetts, consisting of Cape Cod and associated islands. As of 2000, the population was 222,230. Its county seat is the city of Barnstable. The Pilgrims stopped in Truro and Provincetown in 1620, as their original choice for a landing before later declaring the area unsuitable. While there, they discovered fresh water and corn stored by the Native Americans. The accuracy of the latter discovery, on what is now known as Corn Hill, remains disputed. Truro was settled by Europeans in 1700, as the northernmost portion of the town of Eastham. The town was officially separated and incorporated in 1709. Fishing, whaling and shipbuilding made up the town's early industry; these industries died off, however, as the harsh tides of the Lower Cape began decimating the town's main port in the 1850s. Today, Truro is one of the more exclusive towns on the Cape, noted for its affluent residences and the rolling hills and dunes along the coast. The topography generally slopes downward from the Atlantic to Cape Cod Bay sides, and from south to north. There are several small ponds throughout town, all of which combined are smaller than the Pilgrim Lake, just east of the Provincetown town line, and just south of the sand dunes which make up most of the northern tip of the Cape. Pamet Harbor, a small inlet, is in the southern half of the town on the Cape Cod Bay side, and leads to the Pamet River. Cape Cod (or simply the Cape) is an arm-shaped peninsula nearly coextensive with Barnstable County, and forming the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts. The Cape's small town character and beachfront brings heavy tourism during the summer months. Although the Cape was originally connected to the mainland, the Cape Cod Canal, which opened in 1914, effectively transformed Cape Cod into a large island (though it is not normally referred to as such). The Cape Cod Highland Lighthouse is situated on the Cape Cod National Seashore near the town of Truro, Massachusetts. It is a working lighthouse situated on the Highland Golf Course. The lighthouse is located on the east side of Cape Cod. It is the earliest lighthouse built on Cape Cod, to warn shipping about the dangerous coastline between Cape Ann and Nantucket. On May 17, 1796, a bill was passed which authorized a lighthouse on the Highlands or Clay Pound (Ponds) of North Truro. The high cliffs meant a low, inexpensive structure that could support a lantern. In August, 1796, a deed was signed stating the government had acquired 10 acres of land from Isaac Small for $110.00, $100.00 for the land and $10 for the right of way. The first structure was erected in 1797, and Isaac Small became the first keeper. In September, 1797, an octagon wooden tower was built. It stood 45 feet high on a stone foundation. The latern was 6 feet in diameter and 8 feet high. The keeper's dwelling was one story at 25x27 feet. This included a separate oil vault covered by a shed, a well and small barn. The keepers building and the generator shed can still be seen today. The total coast was $7,257.56. The light was not illuminated until January 15, 1798, making it the 20th lighthouse in the country. Serious structure problems within the tower led to plans for modifying the light in 1812. A new contract was signed in 1831, for the second rebuilding of the tower. The tower was to be a brick, 35 feet high, 22 feet at the base. The keeper's house had little change, but was to be constructed from brick, and a new lens was to be installed. Construction on the new keeper's house began in 1856. The 66 foot tower, assistant keeper's dwelling and connectors were completed in October 1857, at the cost of $17,000.00. The lighthouse was painted white, with a black lantern. The new first order Fresnel lens was illuminated on October 14, 1857. A Naval Radio Station for intelligence monitoring was established at the Cape Cod Highland Light in 1904. The Navy Direction Finding Station at North Truro assumed great importance during World War I and was guarded by a detachment of U.S. Marines. Photo at . The site was used as a U.S. Coast Guard radio traffic facility from 1939 to 1943. An even larger Fresnel lens, floating on a bed of mercury, was installed in 1901. A temporary light was used, while the new first order lens was installed. The light was electrified using a 1000-watt electric lamp in 1932. The light became the coast's most powerful, the 4,000,000 candlepower light could be seen for 45 miles, and reportedly as far as 75 miles in clear weather. In 1946, The giant first order Fresnel lens was removed, and replaced by a pair of modern aerobeacons. When the Fresnel lens was removed, it was destroyed. A fragment is on display at the Highland Museum & Lighthouse. By the 1960's many of the original structures had been taken down, including the assistant keeper's dwellings and the fog horn. In 1961, the Coast Guard destroyed the assistant keeper's house and replaced it with a new duplex. Highland Light was automated in 1986, and the 1946 aerobeacons were replaced, with a Crouse-Hinds DCB-224 rotating beacon, during automation. The station's radio beacon remained in service and the keeper's dwelling continued to be used as Coast Guard housing. Despite government inspections, erosion of the cliff edge was a seious problem. Isaac Small's original 10 acres were now barely two acres. When built, the light- house tower's original perch was 510 feet from the edge of the shore cliffs. By the early 1990's, due to erosion, the lighthouse stood only 128 feet from the edge of the cliff In July, 1996, the entire 430 ton lighthouse tower was moved 453 feet inland intact, using I-beams, and hydraulic jacks. On November 3, 1996, the Highland Light was relit in its new location. In 1998, the aerobeacons were in turn replaced by a 110-watt beacon. In the summer of 1998, Highland Light was opened for visitors, with volunteers giving tours. The lighthouse is now owned by the National Park Service, as part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, and run by Highland Museum & Lighthouse Inc, a non- profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the Cape's first lighthouse. In April, 2001, the lighthouse got a needed facelift, receiving a new interior and exterior paint job, and a new ventilation system was installed in the lantern room. The Cape Cod Highland Lighthouse remains operational, and is a U.S. Coast Guard Active Aid to Navigation, with a Fog Signal. The Coast Guard's role in communications developed during the Prohibition era when a need was established for communications to deal with smugglers. Initially, the Coast Guard used commercial and Naval stations. The first Coast Guard Radio Station in New England went on the air from Nahant, Massachusetts on October 6, 1926. In 1930, the Coast Guard was granted permission to erect a radio station to replace Nahant at Fort Heath, Winthrop, MA, which the Coast Guard opened in November, 1931. The station at Winthrop was closed experimentally from September 1, 1934 until September 17, 1936 and an attempt was made to pass all Coast Guard messages through Navy facilities. The experiment clearly indicated a need for the Coast Guard to provide it's own radio facilities. The Winthrop station was reestablished and remained on the air until 1939 when it was moved to North Truro, MA, and colocated wth the The Cape Cod Highland Lighthouse. In April, 1943, the facility was moved by the Coast Guard to Marshfield, MA. Situated on sixty-five acres on what was once known as the Hunt Estate, The property was purchased by the Coast Guard in 1942. The 1911 home, located on South River Street, was converted to office, barracks and messing facilities and the Coast Guard built an operations building, vehicle garage, several small detached transmitter buildings and a complex antenna array system. In 1975, a new Operations building to house the Receiver Site was built on the Marshfield grounds, and all of the transmitters were moved to a 542 acre former Air Force site on Otis Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod. This major upgrading program was completed and the new U.S. Coast Guard Communications Station Boston was dedicated on 2une 2, 1975. Communications Station Boston was decommissioned in early 1998, and passed into the care of the Town of Marshfield. The Otis ANG Base transmitter site was retained and is run remotely from the USCG Area Master (CAMS) located at Chesapeake, VA. A U.S. Air Force Ground Control Interception (GCI) radar station was located at North Truro Air Force Station on Cape Cod, from the 1950's to 1984, when the property was declared excess by the Air Force. The network depended on each radar site to perform GCI functions or pass information to a nearby GCI center. For example, information gathered by North Truro Air Force Station on Cape Cod was transmitted via three dedicated land lines to the GCI center at Otis AFB, Massachusetts, and then on to the Air Defense Commmand Headquarters at Ent AFB, Colorado. The facility at Otis AFB was a regional information clearinghouse that integrated the data from North Truro and other regional radar stations, Navy picket ships, and the volunteer Ground Observer Corps. The clearinghouse operation was labor intensive. The data had to be manually copied onto Plexiglas plotting boards. The ground controllers used this data to direct defensive fighters to their targets. It was a slow and cumbersome process, fraught with difficulties. Engagement information was passed on to command headquarters by telephone and teletype. In 1968, North Truro became the first radar station to be designated a Backup Interceptor Control installation. The unit assigned to the North Truro Air Force Station was the 762nd AC&W Squadron (later the 762nd Radar Squadron). Navy Direction Finding Station, North Truro, MA 1904 Navy Direction Finding Station, North Truro, MA 1939 Apr 1943 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, North Truro, MA 1904 ================================================================================== Noumea, New Caledonia New Caledonia (locally Kanaky) is an overseas territory of France, made up of a main island (Grande Terre), the Loyalty Islands, and several smaller islands. It is located in the region of Melanesia in the southwest Pacific, approximately 746 miles east of Australia and 932 miles northwest of New Zealand. The island nation of Vanuatu (formerly New Hebrides) lies to the northeast. New Caledonia is made up of a main island, the Grande Terre, and several smaller islands, the Belep archipelago to the north of the Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands to the east of the Grande Terre, the Île des Pins to the south of the Grande Terre, the Chesterfield Islands and Bellona Reefs further to the west. At about half the size of Taiwan, New Caledonia has a land area of 7,172 square miles. The population was 240,400 inhabitants as of January, 2007 official estimates. The Grande Terre is by far the largest of the islands, and the only mountainous island. It has an area of 6,321 square miles, and is elongated northwest-southeast, 217 miles in length and 31-44 miles wide. A mountain range runs the length of the island, with five peaks over 4,900 feet. The capital and largest city of the territory is Nouméa, the seat of the regional organization the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (formerly the South Pacific Commission). Nouméa is the chief port, and principal administrative and economic center of New Caledonia; and the only city on Grande Terre, the main island of New Caledonia. The city lies on a peninsula at the island’s southernwestern tip, sandwiched between low hills and a protected deepwater harbor. Founded in 1854, Nouméa remains dominated by French language and culture. The local economy is based on nickel smelting and tourism. Nouméa is often referred to as the "Paris of the Pacific" because it possesses a cosmopolitan atmosphere, fine French restaurants, and chic boutiques. The name Caledonia derives from the Latin name of an area corresponding to modern Scotland. The name Kanaky is also in common usage in French, English and the indigenous languages. This name is favored by Melanesian nationalists. The word comes from kanaka, a Hawai`ian word (elsewhere tangata and variants) meaning "human/person/people", used by Polynesians to refer to themselves. The word was later used by the French to describe all the indigenous inhabitants of the South Pacific Ocean, including the Melanesian (non-Polynesian) native inhabitants of New Caledonia. The word, turned into Canaque in French, became derogatory. In the 1960s and 1970s, when the Melanesian native inhabitants started to organize themselves into political parties and call for independence, the word was transformed into a symbol of political emancipation and pride. In 1983, during the period of political turmoil, the terms Kanak and Kanaky became political brand names and colonial whites (Caldoches) realized the name had changed into a political statement. The western Pacific was first populated about 50,000 years ago. The Austronesians moved into the area later. The diverse group of people that settled over the Melanesian archipelagos are known as the Lapita. They arrived in the archipelago now commonly known as New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands around 1500 BC. The Lapita were highly skilled navigators and agriculturists with influence over a large area of the Pacific. >From about the 11th century Polynesians also arrived and mixed with the populations of the archipelago. Europeans first sighted New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands in the late 18th century. The British explorer James Cook sighted Grande Terre in 1774 and named it New Caledonia, (Latin for Scotland). During the same voyage, he also named the islands to the north of New Caledonia the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu), after the islands north of Scotland. British whalers from Australia created an oil extraction station at New Caledonia but weren't welcome. Sandalwood traders were more welcome but as supplies diminished, the traders became abusive. The Europeans brought new diseases such as smallpox, measles, dysentery, influenza, syphilis and leprosy. Many people died as a result of these diseases. Tensions developed into hostilities and in 1849 the crew of the Cutter were killed and eaten by the Pouma clan. As trade in sandalwood declined it was replaced by a new form of trade, Blackbirding. Blackbirding was a euphemism for enslaving people from New Caledonia, the Loyalty Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands to work in sugar cane plantations in Fiji and Queensland. The trade ceased at the start of the 20th century. The victims of this trade were called Kanakas, a label later shortened to Kanak and adopted by the indigenous population after French annexation. Roman Catholic and Protestant missionaries first arrived in the nineteenth century. They had a profound effect on indigenous culture. They insisted people should wear clothes to cover themselves. They eradicated many local practices and traditions, including cannibalism. The island was made a French possession in late 1853, in an attempt by Napoleon III to rival the British colonies in Australia and New Zealand. Following the example set by the British in nearby Australia, between 1864 and 1922, France sent a total of 22,000 convicted felons to penal colonies along the south-west coast of the island. Towards the end of the penal colony era, free European settlers (including former convicts) and Asian contract workers by far out-numbered the population of forced workers. The indigenous Kanak populations declined drastically in that same period, due to introduced diseases and an apartheid-like system, which imposed severe restrictions on their livelihood, freedom of movement and land ownership. During World War II, U.S. and Allied forces built a major position in New Caledonia to combat the advance of Japan in South-East Asia and toward Australia. On March 12, 1942, U.S. Naval Forces arrived and established advance bases at Noumea, in New Caledonia; and Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides. These early bases were critical in order to contain the Japanese in the Central Pacific and protect the lifeline to Australia. In October, 1942, then Vice Admiral Halsey assumed command of the South Pacific area and moved his headquarters ashore to Noumea, New Caledonia; and directed the development of a full blown logistics support base there, eliminating the need for the extended line of communication to Auckland, New Zealand. Fleet Air Command, Noumea, New Caledonia was established on December 14, 1942, at the Pointe Chaleix French Naval Base. Noumea served as the headquarters for the U.S. military in the Pacific. The base at Espiritu Santo was fully operational in February, 1943. The proximity of the territory with the South Pacific operations, permitted quick repairs in Noumea of damaged U.S. ships, and provided a strategic air base as well as personnel and logistics support for the war. Over the course of World War II, over 40,000 U.S. troops were stationed on the small Pacific island nation. In July, 1943, a U.S. Navy Radio Intercept Station was established at Noumea, New Caledonia; when radio intercept and other operations personnel were evacuated from the U.S. Navy Direction Finding Station at Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands. The DF Station on Guadalcanal remained open until December 4, 1944. The Navy Radio Intercept Station at Noumea was closed at the conclusion of World War II, in December, 1945. The U.S. military headquarters was, after the war, taken over as the base for a new regional intergovernmental development organization. Along with other Pacific Ocean territories of French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia is part of the French Republic. Its official status, unique in the French Republic, because New Caledonia is the only French subdivision that is not a collectivité territoriale. New Caledonia was a colony until 1946, then a French overseas territory from 1946 to 1999. Administratively, the archipelago is divided into three provinces; the South Province (Provincial capital: Nouméa); the North Province (Provincial capital: Koné) and the Loyalty Islands Province (Provincial capital: Lifou). Navy Direction Finding Station, Guadalcanal, 15 Sep 1942 04 Dec 1944 Solomon Islands Radio Intercept and other operations 05 Nov 1942 Jul 1943 Evacuated to Noumea, New Caledonia Navy Radio Intercept Station, Noumea, New Caledonia Jul 1943 Dec 1945 Evacuated here from Guadalcanal =================================================================================== Otter Point, Ft. Glenn, Cape Airfield, Umnak Island, Alaska Umnak is part of the "Fox" islands, southwest of mainland Alaska in the Aleutian chain, and is located sixty-five miles west of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. It is the third largest of the Aleutian islands, and the 19th largest island in the U.S. having a land mass of around 675 square miles. The island is home to a large volcanic caldera on Mount Okmok and is separated from Unalaska Island by Umnak Pass. As of the 2000 census, the island had a population of 39 persons. Its only remaining community, Nikolski, comprised the island's entire population. Fort Glenn, a former major military facility on the Northwest shore of the island, played an instrumental role in the North Pacific Theater in World War II. In late November, 1941, the construction of an Army airfield on Umnak Island was approved by the War Department to provide local air protection for the Naval Base at Dutch Harbor, and also for the broader purposes of blocking a Japanese advance toward the mainland and permitting the projection of Army air power into the more distant Aleutians. The 807th Army Engineers began the construction of a runway at Otter Point on the northeastern end of Umnak, in mid-January, 1942; and undertook similar work in March, 1942 on an intermediate base at Cold Bay, near the tip of the Alaska Peninsula, where construction of an airfield had been started in 1941 by the Civil Aeronautics Administration. In 1942, Umnak supported about 50 Aleut residents, about 15,000 sheep, and a heard of imported reindeer. Umnak has no natural harbor, supports no trees, and is very mountainous. There were serious doubts that a runway could in fact be constructed here. The runway problem was solved by importing to Umnak, 3,000,000 square feet of Marsden Matting, perforated-steel plating (PSP), that could be assembled with other steel plates to create a flat surface upon which aircraft could take off and land. On March 31, 1942, the 807th had completed the 3,000 by 100 foot runway on Umnak for use by twelve P-40 Warhawk fighter aircraft, some B-26 Marauders, and a few B-17 Flying Fortresses. The Umnak base became the Army's Fort Glenn, and the Cold Bay base became Fort Randall, with the Army garrison for Dutch Harbor, Fort Mears, in between. Both of the new fields were usable by April 1, 1942, although just barely so. When the enemy approached two months later, Umnak had a garrison of about 4,000, Fort Mears of over 6,000, and Cold Bay of about 2,500, including engineer troops, but also including balanced complements of infantry and of field and antiaircraft artillery units. The forward base on Umnak had 2,300 combat troops, that the War Department had authorized. The U.S. Navy Advanced Base, Otter Point, Umnak Island and the U.S. Naval Air Facility (NAF), Otter Point was established on October 22, 1942. The U.S. Naval Supplementary Radio Station, Otter Point; with a co-located Navy Direction Finding Station, was also established in October, 1942. Officers at Otter Point enjoyed comfortable living conditions in a Yakutat style house. The enlisted personnel had three Yakutat houses and used a community head and shower room. Oil heaters were used to supply warmth for these quarters. A combined Ship's Service, soft drink fountain, barber shop and station gymnasium occupied one building called "Madison Square Garden" and it proved adequate for all purposes of recreation. There was a small officers' club and mess where the officers had their meals. The enlisted men were members of "The Enlisted Mens' Club" the only such club in the Aleutian Chain, and took great pride in this club, which was managed by the enlisted personnel of Otter Point Naval Air Facility. U.S. forces at Fort Mears met the first Japanese attack on Dutch Harbor on June 3, 1942, with antiaircraft and small arms fire. On June 4,1942, the Aleutian Tigers (eight P-40s), engaged the Japanese planes in aerial dogfights. The U.S. planes were launched from Cape Field at Fort Glenn, a secret airbase on neighboring Umnak Island. The Japanese had thought the nearest airfield was on Kodiak, and Cape Field, disguised as a cannery complex, had remained undetected. The surprise aerial counter-attack destroyed four Japanese dive bombers and one Japanese Zero. See the articles on Dutch Harbor, Alaska and Adak, Alaska for details of the Japanese attack and occupation of Attu and Kiska Islands (June 6-7, 1942), the Japanese evacuation of those islands, and the Allied (U.S. and Canadian) reoccupation of Attu and Kiska Islands (May 30, 1943 through August 15, 1943.) The Japanese occupied U.S. territory for over a year before being routed at Attu. Not since the War of 1812, had a foreign battle been fought on American soil. The U.S. Coast Guard was also represented on Umnak Island, a U.S. Coast Guard Loran Station was established on December 4, 1944. The station site, at Cape Starr, was five miles from the village of Nikolski. Rugged terrain was encountered and as no road existed, all materials and supplies had to be hauled the entire distance over tundra. Traveling had to be done either when it was quite dry, or when it was frozen and without too much snow. In wet weather, it was impossible to drive vehicles over the route. While this station was difficult to access, because of a lack of an all- weather road, the island of Umnak could be reached by vessels throughout the entire year. U.S. Army vessels arrived and departed at least once a month, from the Army Air Station Located on Umnak. Naval Supplementary Radio Station (DF), Otter Point, Oct 1942 Aug 1945 Umnak, AK Navy Direction Finding Station, Otter Point, Umnak, AK =================================================================================== Palemano Point, Island of Hawaii, Hawaii The DF station was located on Kealakekua Bay, about 3 miles north of Honaunau Bay, and about 1.3 miles southwest of Napoopoo. Navy Direction Finding Station, Palemano Point, HI at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Palemano Point, HI ====================================================================================== Palmyra Island, Palmyra Atoll, Territory of Hawaii, USA Palmyra Atoll, is an incorporated atoll administered by the U.S. government. The atoll is 4.6 square miles in area, and it is located in the Northern Pacific Ocean. Geographically, Palmyra is one of the Northern Line Islands (southeast of Kingman Reef and north of Kiribati Line Islands), located almost due south of the Hawaiian Islands, roughly halfway between Hawaii and American Samoa. It is about 120 miles northwestward of Washington Island, 200 miles northwest of Fanning Island, 33 miles southeastward of Kingman Reef, and 960 miles southwest of Honolulu. Its 9 miles of coastline has one anchorage known as West Lagoon. It consists of an extensive reef, two shallow lagoons, and some 50 sand and reef-rock islets and bars covered with vegetation, mostly coconut trees, Scaevola, and tall Pisonia trees. The atoll consists of about 50 small islets, having a total area of about 250 acres, in a horse shoe shape, surrounding three lagoons. The islets of the atoll are all connected, except Sand Island in the West and Barren Island in the East. The largest island is Cooper Island in the North, followed by Kaula Island in the South. The northern arch of islets is formed by Strawn Island, Cooper Island, Aviation Island, Quail Island, Whippoorwill Island, followed in the east by Eastern Island, Papala Island, and Pelican Island, and in the south by Bird Island, Holei Island, Engineer Island, Tananger Island, Marine Island, Kaula Island, Paradise Island and Home Island (clockwise). Daytime temperatures average 85°F year round. Palmyra is an incorporated territory of the U.S., meaning that it is subject to all provisions contained in the U.S. Constitution and is permanently under U.S. sovereignty. The President has the discretion to administer the island as best seen fit. There is no indigenous population remaining, nor any reason to think that there will be one in the future. It is privately owned by The Nature Conservancy and managed as a nature reserve, but administered from Washington, D.C. by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior. The surrounding waters, out to the 12-mile limit, were transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and designated as the Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in 2001. Many of the roads and causeways on the atoll were built during World War II. All are now unserviceable and overgrown. There is a roughly 2,200 yard long, unpaved and unimproved airstrip. Various abandoned World War II-era structures are found on the island. The atoll has been manned by a group of scientists, Nature Conservancy staff and volunteers, and Fish & Wildlife representatives (totalling between four and 20 in all) for the last several years. A series of improvements in 2004 consisted of new two-person bungalows and showers for the island's inhabitants. Communal buildings of the settlement on the north side of Cooper Island (the only one on the atoll) consist of a common cooking/dining building adjacent to the Atoll's only dock and a kayak and scuba equipment storage building next to the launch ramp. ge parts of the Atoll are closed to any sort of public access, due to the threat of uncleared World War II unexploded ordnance. Palmyra was first sighted in 1798, by an American sea captain, Edmund Fanning of Stonington, Connecticut, while his ship the Betsy was in transit to Asia, but it was only later, on November 7, 1802, that the first western people landed on the uninhabited atoll. On that date, Captain Sawle of the U.S. ship Palmyra was wrecked on the atoll. The island received its name from the American vessel Palmyra. On February 26, 1862, Kamehameha IV (1834-1863), Fourth King of Hawaii (1854-1863), issued a commission to Captain Zenas Bent and Johnson B. Wilkinson, both Hawaiian citizens, to sail to Palmyra and to take possession of the atoll in the king's name and on April 15, 1862 it was formally annexed to the Kingdom of Hawaii. In 1898, Palmyra was annexed to the U.S. in conjunction with the overall U.S. annexation of Hawaii; and on June 14, 1900, it became part of the then U.S. Territory of Hawaii. In the period preceding the formal annexation of the atoll by the U.S., the British had shown interest for the atoll, and in 1889, the British had even formally annexed it. In order to end all further British attempts or contestations, a second, separate act of annexation of Palmyra by the U.S. was made in 1911. Meanwhile, word reached Honolulu that British interests had designs on Palmyra. On February 17, 1912, the U.S. cruiser West Virginia, quietly slipped out of Honolulu, and returned on the February 28th with the announcement that they had taken formal possession of Palmyra in the name of the U.S. on February 20, 1912. As of February 21, 1912, it was formally claimed by the U.S. government, still as part of the Territory of Hawaii. In 1934, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, and Palmyra were placed under the Department of the Navy. Preliminary surveys were made during 1938, and the first party to begin construction sailed from Honolulu November 14, 1939. Also in November, 1939, the atoll was declared a U.S. Naval defense area, and all foreign, public and private vessels and planes were prohibited. The U.S. Navy built a Naval Air Station, and NAS Palmyra Island was commisssioned on August 15, 1941. The 76th U.S. Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees) dredged a channel, so that ships could enter the protected lagoons, and bulldozed coral rubble into a long, unpaved landing strip for refuelling transpacific supply planes. The U.S. Naval Supplementary Radio Station, Palmyra Island, was established on April 28, 1942. In February, 1943, Direction Finding operations commenced. Security was provided by the U.S. Marine Corps. Marine Detachment, 1st Defense Battalion, Palmyra Island, with a complement of 7 officers and 51 enlisted Marines, was stationed on the island during the Navy occupation from December 7, 1941 until 1947. After the war, the U.S. Naval Supplementary Radio Station, and Direction Finding Station, Palmyra Island, was closed on January 16, 1946; and the U.S. Navy departed Palmyra Island in 1947. The station was transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard. When Hawaii achieved statehood in 1959, Palmyra, which had been officially part of the City & County of Honolulu, was explicitly separated from the new state as an Incorporated Territory of the U.S., administered by U.S. Department of the Interior. In 1962, the U.S. Department of Defense used the atoll for an instrumentation site during high altitude atomic weapon tests over Johnston Island. There was a utility staff of about ten men, who managed the camps and were present during the entire period. But there was an average of about 40 people who were there to run the instrumentation and to service the technical staff. These people represented many of the large universities and laboratories around the world. Minor problems occurred with the protection of wildlife from servicemen and camp staff. The Hermit crabs, coconut crabs, and land crabs, which are large and numerous; and "Goonie" birds were about the only animals of any type around the Atoll, thus there was no reported discipline issued to any individual. The main problem was the "Goonie" birds. Feasting in the evening, they could be drenched by the rain and become unable to return to their roosting grounds. Being attracted by the camp lights, they stopped over and usually regurgitated their meal all over the camps. On the other hand, The Hawaiians who were assigned to the staff were great fishermen and frequently caught many fish, lobster and octopus for the enjoyment of the occupants of the Atoll. Palmyra Atoll has more red-footed boobies (birds) than anywhere but the Galapagos Islands. Palmyra is their only breeding site in 450,000 square miles of ocean. In January 2000, the atoll was purchased by The Nature Conservancy for the purposes of coral reef conservation and research. In November 2005, a worldwide team of scientists joined with The Nature Conservancy to launch a new research station on the Palmyra Atoll in order to study Global warming, disappearing coral reefs, invasive species and other global environmental threats. Naval Supplementary Radio Station, Palmyra Island 28 Apr 1942 16 Jan 1946 Direction Finding operations Feb 1943 16 Jan 1946 Transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard =================================================================================== Panama Canal Zone Also see articles in this file under Balboa, Panama Canal Zone and Toro Point, Panama Canal Zone. Also see Galeta Island in the History of NSG Duty Stations file. Panama, the isthmus connecting North and South America has long been a focal point for exploration and a corridor for transportation. Many people dreamed of creating a canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The Panama Canal - or eighth wonder of the world - was completed by the United States on 15 August 1914, in slightly under ten years at a total cost of $387 millions dollars. In addition, 232 million cubic yards of soil were excavated and 5,609 lives were lost. Former British Ambassador James Bryce stated the canal was, "The greatest liberty Man has ever taken with Nature." We constructed the largest man-made earth dam, Gatun Dam; created the largest man-made lake, Gatun lake; excavated the largest area, Culebra or Galliard Cut; and constructed the largest locks Miraflores, Pedro Miguel and Gatun, in history. The U.S. had to overcome many obstacles to complete the big ditch. The logistical problems with removing the soil from the canal overwhelmed the French; malaria and yellow fever were a constant threat to laborers. The U.S. Navy had been in Panama since the 1870's, originally in the form of survey and research expeditions. In 1917 the U.S. Naval presence became permanent with the establishment of the 15th Naval District in the Panama Canal Zone. Three Naval surveys were conducted in the 1870's in support of construction of an isthmian canal. Cmdrs. Thomas Oliver Selfridge and Edward P. Lull in 1871 led the first. The USS Nashville, while anchored at Colon in November 1903 (and acting in accordance with the treaty of 1846 guaranteeing the neutrality and free transit of the Isthmus) prevented Colombian forces from crossing in to the Isthmus to put down the Panamanian revolt against Colombia. On November 6, 1903 the U.S. formally recognized the Government of Panama. Since the beginning of the canal, the U.S. Navy has played a major role in supporting and defending the canal, and maintaining Fleet Support at the Crossroads of the World. The Navy presence in Panama was continually changing. Naval forces in the area peaked during World War II and have been decreasing ever since. Some of the many areas have been renamed and reorganized over time. Many of the areas once held by the Navy have been transferred to the government of Panama or to other U.S. military services. Hugh Rodman, son of Dr. Hugh Rodman and Susan Ann Barbour Rodman, was born in Frankfort, Kentucky, 6 January 1859. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and was commissioned Ensign in June of 1884. Rodman attained flag rank of Rear Admiral in May 1917 and held the rank of Admiral while serving as Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet 1919-1921. Admiral Rodman transferred to the Retired List of the Navy on 6 January 1923. During Admiral Rodman's long and distinguished career, he served as the First Marine Superintendent of the Isthmian Canal Commission from 1913 to 1915. Charged with canal transit operations under General Goethals, the Army engineer-builder, he was directly responsible for the pilots assuming and maintaining control through an entire ship transit. Originally it had been planned that all ships would land at the approach walls of each set of locks and lock personnel would embark, conduct the vessel through the lock and disembark. Admiral Rodman was decidedly against this method and strongly petitioned against this to General Goethals. Rodman was insistent that PCC pilots have absolute control of the vessels from one end of the canal to the other. At the time, pilots were only used in an advisory capacity. Prior to the official opening of the canal in 1914, a number of rehearsals were performed and the results proved Rodman's method the safest and most efficient. In honor of his contributions to the canal construction era, the west bank Naval Station bears his name. Additionally, Admiral Rodman authored Yarns of a Kentucky Admiral. The USS Rodman (DD-456) which launched in September 1946, was named in his honor. He died June 7, 1940 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The Naval Communications Station, Balboa was activated in 1914. Additional radio stations were located in Coco Solo, Cape Mala and the Darien. The first Navy ships to transit the canal were USS Wisconsin, Ohio and Missouri in October 1915. The Navy became officially active on February 3, 1917 with the take over of four German merchant ships in Limon Bay, thus establishing its mission of defense of the Panama Canal. USS Charleston accomplished this, which was temporarily present in Canal Zone waters. On April 27, 1917, a U.S. Navy Submarine Base was established at Coco Solo. It was expanded during World War II to include a Naval Air Station, Naval Hospital, Net Depot, Naval Magazine and additional housing. Fort Amador served as the home of the 15th Naval District, which was established in 1917. Originally, many of the buildings belonged to the Panama Canal Company (PCC). This location was desirable for Naval Headquarters because it was on the same bank as the Army and PCC headquarters, and where most of the Naval operations occurred. By Executive Order No. 5849 dated May 19, 1932, certain lands on the west bank of the Panama Canal, opposite Balboa, were transferred to the Secretary of the Navy for the establishment of a Naval base. The construction of Rodman Naval Station began in 1937, on the west bank because the east bank was becoming too crowded. Major construction of the 600-acre U.S. Naval Station Panama Canal (Rodman Naval Station) base was completed in 1943. The base was organized under the Commandant, 15th Naval District. A portion of Rodman, originally called Balboa, was underwater and dredge materials were used to fill in the tidal marsh. At one time, Rodman operated a submarine base as well as three piers. Rodman had operational, administrative and housing areas. Summit was completed in 1935 to perform Naval communications. The large helix building, a high frequency transmitter, antenna, and housing unit were located on this station. The Marine Barracks was the first area on the Pacific west bank to be constructed, beginning in 1937. The buildings are considered to be of the Spanish Colonial Revival style and the consistent use of symmetric arches in the main buildings gives the area a unique look. Although there is a small commercial activities area on the reservation, Marine Barracks has primarily served as housing. Land for Farfan Radio Station was set aside in 1939. This station replaced Balboa Radio station, established in 1914, and complimented other radio stations at Summit, Gatun, Coco Solo, Cape Mala and Darien. The housing area was expanded during World War II. During its peak, the Navy holdings included Camp Rousseau and its hospital, Cocoli housing area, Naval Ammunitions Depot, which were all part of the former Naval Station Balboa. It also included Naval Station Taboga; Galeta Island on the Atlantic east bank, which supported communication and performed security defense missions; and other outer defense sites in the Panama Sea Frontier, as well as conducting operations at Panama Canal's docks, on the east bank at Balboa and Cristobal. Before World War II, fuel was maintained in tanks at Balboa and Mt. Hope. These areas were not protected and were susceptible to air attack. The Navy built two tank farms simultaneously in 1942: Gatun on the Atlantic and Arraijan on the Pacific. The Trans- Isthmian Pipeline allowing fuel to be transferred from the Atlantic to the Pacific connected them. The tank farms could each store over one million barrels of fuel. The piers at Cristobal and Colon were used to transfer fuel to Gatun and the piers at Rodman Naval Station for Arraijan. During World War II, Naval Station Rodman was established in 1943, during the height of Transit Guard operations. The Navy assumed responsibilities for the Transit Guard on February 10, 1942. Sailors and Marines operating from both Rodman and Coco Solo manned the Guard. The Transit Guard's mission was to ensure that no ship transiting the Panama Canal could conduct acts of sabotage. By this point in time, any ship not U.S. or British flagged was suspect and boarded by the Transit Guard during transit of the Canal. This tasking was carried out until the end of World War II. The vigilance of the Guard provided a crucial deterrent in assuring no act of sabotage occurred in the canal. During the war, the Navy was also responsible for underwater defenses, which included anti-torpedo and anti-submarine nets located at the Atlantic and Pacific entrances to the canal. The primary mission of the Navy in Panama at the end of World War II was fleet support, canal shipping defense, regional security assistance, joint operations to include exercise planning and coordination, treaty related administrative affairs and U.S. Naval representation throughout Latin America. On October 1, 1980 the former Canal Zone came under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Panama and a status of forces agreement went into effect. The result for Naval Station, Panama Canal; Naval Security Group, Galeta Island and the U.S. Marine Barracks, Panama Canal was the designation as a defense site, under the terms of the Panama Canal Treaty until December 31, 1999 when the land and all the facilities were transferred to the Republic of Panama. The late eighties were a time of turbulence in the Republic of Panama. December 20, 1989 was the beginning of Operation Just Cause, a joint military operation charged with protecting American lives, maintaining security of the canal, restoring democracy to Panama and capturing Panamanian General Manuel Noriega. A Naval Special Warfare Task Group was responsible for seizing and holding of Paitilla Airfield, destroying a Panamanian patrol boat, and searching vessels in the Panama Canal for Panamanian Defense Force troops and weapons. A tremendous increase in the departure by sea from Cubans migrating in the summer of 1994 brought on a housing problem. Operation Safe Haven entailed the building of four temporary camps on the west bank area of Empire Range. Each camp was built to hold 2,500 and at the peak of Operation Safe Haven nearly 9000 migrants were being housed. The first Cubans arrived September 6, 1994. Nearly 2,000 U.S. service members were involved. The last migrants departed February 1995. While the operation was a joint service endeavor, Naval forces in theater were responsible for the building of and management of Camp Three. Under the terms of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977, Galeta Island had been designated as a DOD contractor site for the length of the treaty, providing continuous support to the fleet until December 31, 1999; when full and final proprietorship of the Panama Canal and its support and defense systems passed to the Republic of Panama. The Panama Canal Treaty required the U.S. to leave at the end of 1999. Southern Command started pulling out troops in 1994. The U.S. turned over about 4,700 buildings and about 93,000 acres to the Panamanian government. The military gradually vacated Quarry Heights, Fort Clayton, Fort Kobbe, Howard Air Force Base, Albrook Air Force Station and Rodman Naval Station on the Pacific side, and Fort Sherman and Galeta Island on the Atlantic side. These military facilities were well-tended oases of red tiled roofs, white tropical buildings, manicured lawns and palm tree-lined streets; located in the lush green countryside, edged by jungle-covered mountains. After the return of the Panama Canal to Panamanian Control on December 31, 1999, all U.S. Military activity ceased. Navy Direction Finding Station, Cape Mala Early 1942 < Sep 1945 at U.S. Naval Radio Station Cape Mala, 04 Aug 1925 Panama Canal Zone Navy Direction Finding Station, Colon Early 1942 < Sep 1945 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Colon, 18 May 1925 Panama Canal Zone Navy Direction Finding Site, Darien Early 1942 < Sep 1945 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Darien, Panama Canal Zone Navy Direction Finding Site, David Early 1942 < Sep 1945 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, David, Panama Canal Zone at Naval Airfield, David, Panama Canal Zone Navy Direction Finding Site, Farfan Early 1942 < Sep 1945 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Farfan, 1939 Panama Canal Zone Navy Direction Finding Site, Gatun at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Gatun, Early 1942 < Sep 1945 Panama Canal Zone Navy Direction Finding Site, Summit Early 1942 < Sep 1945 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Summit, 1935 Panama Canal Zone ====================================================================================== Pass a Loutre, Louisiana Also known as Pass a L'outre and in French, Passe à Loutre. Pass a Loutre, Louisiana, is located at the southern tip of the Mississippi River, in Plaquemines Parish, at the Head of Passes, where the Mississippi River separates into three main arteries. The Head of Passes is where the main stem of the Mississippi River branches off into three distinct directions at its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico, Southwest Pass (Burrwood) (west), Pass A Loutre (east) and South Pass (Port Eads) (center). They are part of the "Bird's Foot Delta", the youngest lobe of the evolving Mississippi River Delta. The Head of Passes is considered to be the location of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains a 45-foot shipping channel from the mouth of Southwest Pass, 20 miles downriver from the Head, up to Baton Rouge, the U.S.'s furthest inland deep-water port. The Pass a Loutre Lighthouse is located at the Head of Passes, in the Mississippi River Delta, in a very isolated swamp area. It was established in 1855, and the third order Fresnel lens was first lit in 1855. The lighthouse tower was originally built in 1852, to replace the lighthouse at Franks Island, which was discontinued when the Northeast Pass shoaled up. As a cost saving measure, the iron Head of Passes light tower was dismantled and rebuilt at Pass a Loutre. The conical shaped lighthouse, constructed of cast iron with a brick lining, was reported to be ready for lighting on December 16, 1855. The first keeper was the former keeper of the Frank's Island light. During the Civil War, the Union Navy removed the lens and other lighthouse materials, and the equipment eventually reached New Orleans, after the fall of that city. The Confederates burned the keeper's quarters. The light was relit on April 20, 1863, after conversion to a characteristic of fixed varied by flashes. The machinery was mounted on the gallery, since the interior lantern deck would not hold the weight. A new keeper's quarters was also constructed at the station. Coal tar was applied to the tower's exterior to prevent rust. In 1868, Reports noted that the lighthouse was slowly sinking into the Mississippi mud. "The settling is uniform, so no structural damage is expected." A steam-powered fog signal was constructed in 1871 and installed in 1872. The characteristic was changed to a fixed red on February 1, 1902. The Pass a Loutre Station sustained considerable damage in the hurricane of September 28, 1917. In 1919, black and white spiral bands were added as a daymark. In 1920, the Lighthouse Station was used by the U.S. Navy as a radio station. During Prohibition, the tower was used by the U.S. Coast Guard as a lookout station. In 1930, the station was deactivated and discontinued, and is no longer operational. At that time, the lighthouse was less than three quarters of it's original height, due to settling in the mud. In 1951, the Lighthouse List showed the tower listed as a daymark. The land is now owned by the State of Louisiana and is now part of the Pass A L'Outre Wildlife Management Area. The rusty tower survives but continues to sink into the mud. The lighthouse at Pass a Loutre was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 Atlantic hurricane that devastated New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast. The crown of the gallery was blown off, and the internal portions are open to the weather. The black and white spiral bands have long since worn away, and the tower is the color of rust. Navy Direction Finding Station, Pass a Loutre, LA 1923 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Pass a Loutre, LA =================================================================================== Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Fleet Radio Unit Pacific (FRUPAC), Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Station Hypo, also known as the Fleet Radio Unit Pacific (FRUPAC) was the U.S. Navy signals monitoring and cryptographic intelligence unit in Hawaii during World War II. It was one of two major Allied signals intelligence units in the Pacific theatrers, along with the Fleet Radio Unit Pacific Melbourne (FRUMEL), Australia. The station took its inital name from the phonetic code at the time for "H", as in "Hawaii". The precise importance and role of HYPO has been the subject of considerable controversy, reflecting internal tensions amongst US Navy cryptographic stations. Hypo was under the control of the OP-20-G Naval Intelligence section in Washington. It was located, prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor of December 7, 1941, and for sometime afterwards, in the basement of the old Administration Building at Pearl Harbor. Later, a new building was constructed for the station, though it had been reorganized and renamed by then. Cryptanalytic problems facing the U.S. in the Pacific prior to World War II, were largely those related to Japan. An early decision by OP-20-G in Washington divided responsibilities for them among Station Cast at Cavite and then Corregidor, in the Philippines; Hypo in Hawaii, and OP-20-G itself in Washington. Other Navy crypto stations, including Guam, Puget Sound, and Bainbridge Island, were tasked and staffed for signals interception and traffic analysis. On December 10, 1941, OP-20-G directed Hypo, later known as the Fleet Radio Unit, Pacific or FRUPAC to commence signals interception and traffic analysis on available JN-25B messages from its local intercept site. OP-20-G, in Washington, also referred to as Station Negat, and Cast accelerated their work on JN-25B. By the end of January; 1942, Negat, Cast and possibly the British may have made fragmentary JN-25B decrypts. However, the first reported JN-25B decrypt was made by Cast on 16 March 16, 1942 and it identified "AF" as being Midway Island. Soon, Hypo and Cast were vying to first report Japanese fleet movements, with Negat generally being third in timely reporting. Nevertheless, Negat’s larger personnel base and greater machine capability permitted them to have the best database of information to support the decryption efforts of all stations, which benefited everyone. Both Hypo and Negat began an urgent campaign to recruit personnel with all the various skills necessary to support their radio intelligence collection, direction finding, analysis, decryption and reporting. With Admiral Nimitz’s support, Hypo obtained former band personnel from the California and Oklaholma for IBM machine operations, as well as Radiomen and other technical personnel rushed to Pearl Harbor after the attack, or without a ship assignment. Out of Hypo’s personnel, a new organization, Combat Intelligence Center (CIC) began to emerge, to work directly with the Fleet Intelligence Officer. Negat grew tremendously with reserve personnel and large numbers of Waves. Substantial percentages of school graduates, particularly Radiomen, Yeomen and maintenance personnel, were allocated to OP-20-G requirements in U.S. and overseas billets. In addition to recruiting Japanese linguists, a Japanese language school was established at the University of California at Berkley. It later moved to Boulder, Colorado and provided OP-20-G with many additional language officers. By mid-1942, it became evident that a separate intelligence organization was needed to correlate and publish the vast quantity of intelligence material necessary to support offensive operations. There was no organization to produce the great volume of maps, charts, information booklets, and data on enemy material and general information on the enemy. In September 1942, a separate Intelligence Center, Pacific Ocean Area (ICPOA) was established with Hypo’s Combat Intelligence Center as one of its supporting organizations. The new intelligence center established an Objective Data Section, an Air Intelligence Section, and other sections as capabilities permitted. By April, 1943, both the CIC and ICPOA had outgrown their quarters in the basement of the Administrative Building, Pearl Harbor and they moved to a new building at Makalapa along with FRUPAC. Certain functions, such as a daily plot of all enemy Naval and merchant vessels, contact reports, important HFDF fixes, and the general major movements of U.S. forces were maintained by ICPOA but were available for radio intelligence personnel. On 7 September 1943, ICPOA became the Joint Intelligence Center Pacific Ocean Area (JICPOA). The close relationship between CIC and ICPOA continued under the new organization and both grew tremendously to meet the ever-increasing intelligence requirements of offensive operations. CIC had four watch officers with private and secure communications with the Fleet Intelligence Section, ComSubPac and all sections of radio intelligence. Station Hypo's jurisdiction was changed from intelligence to communications through the efforts of OP-20-G. However, it continued its close cooperation with JICPOA and its own Combat Intelligence personnel who were absorbed into JICPOA. >From February 5, 1942 to April 8, 1942, Station Cast personnel were evacuated from Corregidor to Australia in three submarine trips. Their new station, which eventually was called Fleet Radio Unit, Melbourne (FRUMEL), was set up in Melbourne, so as to take over Station Cast’s cryptologic duties, when the last group departed Corregidor. Station Hypo commenced a program of providing major fleet commanders with a small on board Radio Intelligence Units (RIU) providing cryptologic support. This started out with a junior language officer, a Chief Radioman and two or three Radiomen. The success of these RIU’s varied with the confidence or lack thereof, the Fleet Commander had in such units. Most Fleet Commanders soon saw the tremendous advantage of having such units aboard, particularly for their early warning capability. As time went on, more and more fleet commanders insisted on having such units and more personnel for each unit. By the end of the war, expanded RIU’s were provided to all carrier task forces, battleship force commands and some smaller commands. Source: The Codebreakers: Intelligence Contributions to U.S. Naval Operations in the Pacific by Philip H. Jacobsen, LCDR, USN, (Ret.) URL: Fleet Radio Unit Pacific (FRUPAC), Pearl Harbor, 10 Dec 1941 Sep 1945 Hawaii (Station Hypo) =================================================================================== Peleliu Island, Palau, Caroline Islands Peleliu (or Beliliou) is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu forms, along with two small islands to its northeast, one of the sixteen states of Palau. The Palaus are located southeast of the Philippines, and 900 miles southwest of Guam, at the western end of the Carolines. The Palaus are an eighty mile long island chain. Peleliu and Angaur are six miles apart in the southern area of the chain. Both of the low rise volcanic islands are characterized by rough ground with cliffs, sinkholes, coral outcroppings, caves, and thick vegetation. Peleliu is 5½ miles long and 2½ wide, with a WWII airfield in the south, and a swamp in the east. Peleliu Island is located northeast of the island of Angaur and southwest of the island of Koror. Peleliu has a total area of 5 square miles. As of 2004, its population was about 700, making it the third most populous state of Palau. Most of the island's population lives in the village of Kloulklubed, the state capital on the northern coast. Including the capital, there is a total of four villages, Kloulklubed (northwest), Imelechol (northeast), Lademisang (southernmost, in the central part of the island), and Ongeuidel (northernmost). The seven-mile long island of Peleliu, volcanic in origin, in some areas, rises 500 feet above sea level. The island was the site of the Battle of Peleliu in World War II (September 15, 1944 - November 27, 1944. Peleliu is a memorial site for both WWII U.S. and Japanese troops. Many soldiers died on the beaches and in the caves of Peleliu. Many of the military installations of the era, such as the airstrip, are still intact, and shipwrecks from the battle remain visible underwater just off the coast. The Battle of Peleliu ranked with Tarawa and Iwo Jima as one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific with the highest percentage of casualties by any U.S. Marine unit in the Pacific. The price of victory cost the U.S. 9,800 casualties, including 1,399 soldiers and Marines killed; 446 soldiers and Marines missing; and 6,142 soldiers and Marines wounded. The Japanese garrison suffered over 13,000 casualties. The number of prisoners taken by the U.S. forces was less than 300. Most were captured near the end of the campaign, when they started running out of food and water. Twenty six Japanese soldiers held out in the caves in Peleliu until 1947, and finally surrendered after a Japanese Admiral from Japan convinced them the war was over. Peleliu and Angaur were converted into a U.S. fueling base. A U.S. Navy ship, the USS Peleliu (LHA-5) is named for the vicious battle fought on the island of Peleliu. Navy Direction Finding Site, Peleliu Island at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Peleliu Island =================================================================================== Pensacola, Florida Pensacola is located in extreme Northwest Florida at the Florida/Alabama state line in Escambia County and Santa Rosa County, 60 minutes east of Mobile, Alabama, 45 minutes west of Ft Walton Beach, FL, and 500 miles northwest of Orlando, FL. The city of Pensacola is situated on the northern shore of Pensacola Bay, about 6 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. The seat of Escambia County, Pensacola is separated from the Gulf by Santa Rosa Island. At the western end of the island is Ft. Pickens and across the channel to the west is Ft. Barrancas. Pensacola Bay was discovered in 1516 by a ship's pilot, Diego Miruelo. In January, 1540, Diego Maldanado, Spanish commander of Hernando de Soto's fleet, entered the harbor and named it Puerto d'Achusi. A Spanish expedition rediscovered Pensacola bay on February 6, 1686. Reports of the friendly Panzacola indians and the strategic bay inspired further expeditions in 1693 and 1698. Fearing renewed French interests in the area, the Spanish established Ft. San Carlos at the entrance of the bay. During the brief French-Spanish war of 1719-1720, Pensacola was seized by the French, almost immediately recaptured by the Spanish, seized again and burned by the French, and finally restored to Spain by treaty on February 17, 1720. A small garrison was maintained by the Spanish from 1720 until 1763, when the Floridas were transferred to England by the treaty ending the Seven Years' War. The Spaniards departed for Mexico, Cuba and New Orleans; and the English resettled Pensacola as the capital of West Florida. English rule ended on May 9, 1781, when Pensacola was captured by Bernardo de Galvaz, the Spanish Governor of New Orleans. During the War of 1812, the British made Pensacola a center of operations, despite Spanish protests. The British fleet entered the harbor in 1814, to take formal possession; but were repulsed by General Andrew Jackson. In 1818, General Jackson captured the city from the Spanish. In 1821, Florida was finally transferred to the U.S. In 1824, Pensacola was chartered as a city, and was selected as the site of a Federal Navy Yard. During the Civil War, the Navy Yard was seized by the State Government, but Ft. Pickens remained under Federal jurisdiction. On May 8, 1862, the Confederates evacuated the city. In 1913, the inactive Navy Yard was reopened as a Naval Air Station. NAS Pensacola is located in Escambia County in the panhandle of Northwest Florida. The installation covers a total of 8,423 acres of land - 5,804 acres at NAS Pensacola proper, and over 2,500 acres at other locations including Corry Station, Saufley Field and Outlying Landing Field Bronson. NAS Pensacola is known as the "Cradle of Aviation" and was the first site of an established Naval Aviation command during WWI. Navy Direction Finding Station, Pensacola, FL at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Pensacola, FL ====================================================================================== Point Arguello, Surf, California Point Arguello is located 55 miles north of Santa Barbara, in the Santa Barbara Channel, on the Pacific coast of California. The area of land now known as Point Arguello was originally known by the Canalino Indian name "Nocto" and was part of the territory ruled at the time of the arrival of the Mission Fathers, by Canalinos Chief Salipuata. The Indians were part of the third people indigenous to the area, the Canalinos. In prehistoric times, a people of Mongolian stock in all probability had first settled along the Southern California coast in areas where oak trees were plentiful, from which characteristic they had been called "The Oak Tree (Grove) People". They vanished some hundreds of years before the beginning of the Christian era. A second group, also probably Mongolian in origin and semi-nomadic in habits arrived. These "hunting people" gradually merged with a third race, the Canalinos, on the latter’s arrival. On August 28, 1769, the Portola expedition camped near Point Arguello, where they found a small Indian rancheria. This area had many excellent flints, and so they named it Los Pederales (The Flints). This name continued to be used off the point on Spanish maps until the Mexican revolution. The American and European designation was Point Arguello; which was named in 1793, by English navigator Captain George Vancouver (1757-1798), for Don José Darío Argüello, a Spanish frontier soldier who was Commandanté of the Presidio of Santa Barbara (in Monterey, CA) and acting governor of Alta California. The history of Point Arguello since then has been one of shipwrecks, the area having been termed the "Graveyard of the Pacific". Probably the most famous tragedy was the wreck of the "Yankee Blade" on October 1, 1854. 415 people perished when the steamship hit the rocks, 200 to 300 yards offshore. She carried a fortune in gold bullion, which has since been recovered. In recent times, what has been called the U.S. Navy’s greatest peacetime disaster, occurred off the Point, when seven 4-stacker U.S. Navy destroyers ran aground and sank. On September 9, 1923, 22 men were lost on the same rocks that smashed the "Yankee Blade". Mariners say that the chief reason that so many boats have struck there, is that in bad weather typical of that shoreline, sailing a boat into the channel between San Miguel Island and Points Arguello and Conception is like sailing into the eye of a needle. In 1901, the lighthouse service built a light station at Point Arguello. It had a white square cylindrical tower attached to a one story keeper's house. Between 1934 and 1938, increases in coastal shipping necessitated the service establish a lifeboat station. On July 1, 1939, the Lighthouse Service was combined into the U.S. Coast Guard. 8000 Coast Guardsmen took the place of the former lighthouse keepers, forming the nucleus for the present day light stations and aids to navigation wervices. During World War II, the Coast Guard manned Point Arguello Light and Point Arguello Lifeboat Station, as well as a newly established Loran Station. Twelve years after World War II, it was deemed economical to disestablish the Lifeboat Station. In 1958, Point Arguello Lifeboat Station was retired. Point Arguello light is a key reporting point for national weather maps. The Loran station broadcasts navigational references to passing ships, and the light station disseminates information regarding fog and cloud conditions for Southern California. The light itself is 124 feet above the water. A two-tone fog signal is placed in operation, when visibility is less than five miles; and when operating, is synchronized with a radio beacon every three minutes, for distance finding. In February, 1968, Point Arguello had an complement of 12 U.S. Coast Guard enlisted personnel. Accommodations were available for eight families at the unit. In 1919, the U.S. Navy established a combination Navigational Direction Finder Station, Radio Compass Station and Coastal Radio Traffic Station, at Point Arguello, CA. In 1922, the Direction Finder operation was relocated to a new site near the eastern boundary of the Point Arguello Lighthouse Reservation. The NAVRADSTA's traffic function was terminated, and the Point Arguello site was re-established as a U.S. Naval Radio Station, with a co-located Navy Direction Finding Station. Station personnel consisted of one U.S. Navy Chief and four Radiomen. Beginning in 1938, Point Arguello was listed as a Strategic HFDF station with training as its primary role; but it would be years before it would become operational. There followed years of feasibility studies, site selection testing, and extensive correspondence between COM 11, CNO, and the Coast Guard. All of this finally eventuated in a February, 1941 lease from the Sudden Ranch Estate of six acres of land about a mile from the barracks, together with necessary right-of-way for 50 to 99 years at $1000 per year. But haggling and delays continued so that final authorization for HFDF operations at Point Arguello, was not granted until December 12, 1941. By August 25, 1942, Point Arguello (letter "Z" designator) was part of the West Coast Direction Finder Net, transmitting intercepts to NSGA Bainbridge Island, WA, via the control teletype circuit. Equipment was a Model DT HFDF unit. Personnel shortages initially forced a three-man, three-section watch with one supervisor-IFDF search, one HFDF operator, and one IFDF operator in the old facility near the barracks, which guarded 500 KHZ. By December 12, 1942 (enough) Radiomen were on board, so that a four-section watch was instituted. Point Arguello's value as an HFDF station continued to be questioned and on June 30, 1943, the lease with the Sudden Ranch Estate was terminated, and no further HFDF operations were conducted thereafter. Operations actually ceased on June 18, 1943, when the HFDF station at Point Arguello was decommissioned. The next day, Naval Radio Station Goleta (just north of Santa Barbara) replaced Arguello on the West Coast Direction Finder Net, using the old "Z" letter designator. The IFDF shack and a support facilities were transferred to the Coast Guard. For an excellent rendition of life and times at Point Arguello, circa early 1941 and 1942 (from which the above paragraph was compiled), see the article by Frederick G. Hoyt, NCVA at the following URL . The Navy Direction Finding Station was transferred on June 18, 1943 to the U.S. Naval Supplementary Radio Station, located at the Marine Corps Air Station in Goleta, CA. After the start of Word War II, with the completion of the blimp base at Santa Ana, CA, in October 1942, the Navy realized that an additional auxiliary field was needed to support antisubmarine blimp operations, and provide adequate patrol coverage north of Los Angeles. After conducting extensive weather observations, the Lompoc Airport site was chosen, and construction began in 1942. Naval Auxiliary Air Facility (NAAF) (Lighter Than Air), Lompoc, CA was commissioned on August 8, 1943. NAAF Lompoc was located 3/4 mile north of the city of Lompoc, CA; which is located 45 miles northwest of Santa Barbara, near Point Arguello and Point Conception. The town was founded in 1874 as a temperance community on the site of Rancho Lompoc and Rancho Mission Vieja. The NAAF consisted of a 1,000 foot by 500 foot asphalt landing mat, two blimp mooring masts, and barracks for a total of 97 personnel, 25 officers and 72 enlisted men. It was an auxiliary field to NAS Santa Ana and had a landing strip for small planes. Typical operations at Lompoc during World War II consisted of a one or two blimp detachment from Santa Ana's ZP-31. The last Navy blimp departed Lompoc on September 25, 1945, and the station was placed into caretaker status. The base was returned to civilian control the following year, at which point it again became Lompoc's municipal airport. During World War II, the U.S. Army needed to establish a new training facility and acquired a large swath of land north of Point Conception, because it was isolated. The Pacific Rail Line ran up the coast and provided easy access to Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Army opened Camp Cooke in 1941, and used it to train infantry, tank crews, and other soldiers. Camp Cooke was closed in 1945, and reopened in 1951, during the Korean War. It was then closed down again at the end of the Korean War and the land rented to local farmers. In 1956, the U.S. Air Force Reconnaissance Satellite Program Command desired a site to conduct operational ballistic missile program training and ICBM launches, where Air Force crews could train to launch the missiles over the Pacific Ocean; and also for future reconnaissance satellite launches. Thw former Camp Cooke site was found to be the perfect location. The Air Force acquired the northern parts of the base. In 1958, Camp Cooke was formally renamed Vandenberg Air Force Base, named after an early Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, General Hoyt Vandenberg. In November, 1945, the U.S. Navy established a Naval Air Facility at Point Mugu for cruise missile testing. After the U.S. Air Force acquired the northern part of Camp Cooke from the Army in 1956, (Vandenberg AFB in 1958), the surplus southern portion of the former camp, encompassing over 19,800 acres, was transferred to the U.S. Navy in May, 1958. The Navy subsequently established a Pacific Missile Range with headquarters at Point Mugu, and instrumentation sites along the California coast and at various islands in the Pacific. The land acquired from Camp Cooke became the Naval Missile Facility, Point Arguello, CA; a major launch head and range safety center for all ballistic missile and satellite launch operations conducted within the Pacific Missile Range. On November 16, 1963, the U.S. Air Force was given central authority to coordinate planning of ICBM and space vehicle launching and tracking networks, on a worldwide basis. This resulted in transfer to the Air Force of major portions of the Navy's Pacific Missile Range, including the facility at Point Arguello in July, 1964. In 1964, the Naval Missile Facility, Point Arguello, became part of Vandenberg AFB. In 1960, the Air Force began to significantly expand Vandenberg AFB by acquiring the Sudden Ranch Estate to the south, the site of the former U.S Navy Strategic HFDF Station from February, 1941 to June, 1943. Navy Navigational Direction Finder Station, 1919 1922 Radio Compass Station and Coastal Radio Traffic Station, Point Arguello, CA Naval Radio Station (NAVRADSTA) Point Arguello, CA 1922 18 Jun 1943 Navy Direction Finding Station, Point Arguello, CA 1922 1938 Navy Strategic High Frequenty Direction Finding 1938 18 Jun 1943 Station, Point Arguello, CA Transferred to Goleta, CA Facility at Point Arguello was transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard Naval Supplementary Radio Station (DF), Goleta, CA 19 Jun 1943 Jun 1944 Transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard =================================================================================== Point Fermin, San Pedro, Los Angeles, California San Pedro is a beach community within Los Angeles, located at the southern end of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, on the west side of San Pedro Bay. In 1906, the City of Los Angeles annexed a long narrow strip of land connecting the city to the coast, and in 1909, the city annexed San Pedro and the adjacent town of Wilmington. San Pedro is a major seaport of the area. The town has grown from being dominated by the fishing industry to become primarily a working class town within the City of Los Angeles. San Pedro was named after St. Peter of Alexandria, a 4th century bishop in Alexandria, Egypt. His feast day is November 24th, the day on which Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo discovered the bay in 1542, which would become San Pedro Bay. Regular settlement began in 1769, as part of the effort to populate California, although trade restrictions encouraged more smuggling than regular business. The Rancho San Pedro is the site of the first Spanish land grant in Alta California, New Spain. The land was granted in 1784, by King Carlos III to Juan Jose Dominguez, a retired Spanish soldier who came to California with the Gaspar de Portolà expedition. When New Spain won its independence from the Spanish Empire and Alta California became part of Mexico, the trade restrictions were lifted, and the town flourished. Under U.S. control after 1848, when the U.S. defeated Mexico in the Mexican-American war, the harbor was greatly improved and expanded under the guidance of Phineas Banning. San Pedro became a major port of the West Coast and is now the busiest port in the country. In 1888, the War Department took control of a tract of land next to the bay and added to it in 1897 and 1910. This became Fort MacArthur in 1914. Fort MacArthur, a U.S. Army post, guarded the Los Angeles harbor from 1914 to 1974. The Fort MacArthur Reservation consists of historical structures that were part of the U.S. Army's role in the coastal defense of the American continental coastline. The structures trace the development of American coastal defenses, from the big gun era of the turn of the century, to the missile era. Further detailed information on Fort MacArthur is available at the Historic California Posts WebPage on Fort MacArthur (Including White Point Military Reservation), by CW2 Mark J. Denger and CSM Dan Sebby, California Center for Military History, at the following link: . Many other facilities were established in the San Pedro area, and it was a popular port of call for U.S. Navy ships, especially during World War II. The town became a well known watering hole for sailors and Marines on leave, and established a reputation as a rough-and-tumble town. Point Fermin, named after a Franciscan friar, sits at the southernmost tip of Los Angeles. The area was given it's name by the British explorer George Vancouver, who visited the San Pedro Bay area in 1793, and decided to thank Father Fermin Francisco de Lasuen for his hospitality, at the mission in Carmel. In October, 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo became the first European to sail into the what would be later known as the Los Angeles Harbor. He named the location, Bahia, de Los Fumos, the Bay of Smokes. In 1602, the bay would be renamed by Sebastian Vincaino as Bahia de San Pedro. By 1830, San Pedro Bay served as the port for the Pueblo de Los Angeles, which was at the time, the largest settlement in California. It would later be outsized by San Francisco, when the gold rush began. Point Fermin Lighthouse The Point Fermin Lighthouse, located in San Pedro Harbor, near the city of San Pedro, was built in 1874, with lumber from California redwood trees, on land donated by Jose Diego Sepulveda. San Pedro Harbor development began in the 1830's. In 1854, local businessmen and local seamen petitioned the Federal Government and the U.S. lighthouse Board to place a lighthouse on the point. Although the Lighthouse Board agreed, funding and land disputes delayed its construction until 1874. The site selected for the light- house was a one hundred foot cliff, overlooking the ocean. The fourth order Fresnel lens was first lit on December 15, 1874, the same day as its twin, the lighthouse at Point Hueneme. The Point Fermin Lighthouse was the first navigational light built in San Pedro Bay. The lighthouse was a palatial structure, crowned with a cupola fitted with a 2,100 candlepower light. The lighthouse tower was a square Stick Style Victorian structure, characterized by its gabled roofs, horizontal siding, decorative cross beams and hand carved porch railings. The foundation was brick and the lighthouse was primarily constructed of wood. The lighthouse was affixed directly onto the wood dwelling for the keeper, and was built into the structure. The lighthouse was staffed by lighthouse keepers (federal employees) under the Treasury Department and regulated by the U.S. Lighthouse Board. It was the keeper's job to keep the light lit as a beacon for ships, keep (maintain) the lighthouse lens, and to perform general upkeep of the building. Point Fermin's first lighthouse keepers, in 1874, were sisters, Mary and Ella Smith. They came from a lighthouse family and their brother Victor, was a Washington Territory customs officer, and was no doubt influential in getting his sisters their positions. Why they chose Point Fermin is a mystery, as the area was quite isolated and barren. In any event, they seemed to get along just fine in their positions for nearly eight years, whereupon the Smith sisters resigned in 1882. Captain George Shaw was hired for the lighthouse keeper position in 1882. Shaw was a retired sea captain, but he refused to retire far from his beloved sea, and was delighted by the opportunity to serve as the keeper at Point Fermin. His wife and daughter moved into the lighthouse with him, but by 1901, his wife had died and his daughter had gone away to school leaving him as the sole resident. Captain Shaw was the first keeper at Point Fermin to wear the U.S. Lighthouse Service uniform, newly required of all keepers in 1884. Of interest, women were allowed to become U.S. Lighthouse keepers, but were not required to wear the uniform. In 1898, a petroleum vapor incandescent lamp with 6600 candlepower was installed, which was visible for 18 miles. The U.S. Lighthouse Service was transferred to the Commerce and Labor Department in 1910. With the completion of the Los Angeles Harbor lighthouse in 1913, the importance of the Point Fermin lighthouse diminished. The Austin family moved into the lighthouse in 1917, to become the last keepers of the Point Fermin Light. William Austin had served as keeper at two other California lighthouses, Point Arena and Point Conception, before coming to Point Fermin. For the first time, the lighthouse was filled with children. When the Austin family moved in, they had seven children between the ages of 15 and 1 month old; during their stay at Point Fermin, that number quickly grew to eight with the birth of another son. When both William and Martha Austin passed away in 1925, their daughter Thelma Austin, with the help of her sister Juanita, took over as keeper until 1927, when management of the light was turned over to the City of Los Angeles. In 1925, a new 6,600 candlepower electric light and a revolving lens were installed, which increased the range to 22 miles; which meant that the light could be seen from Santa Catalina Island. In 1927, the Los Angeles City Recreation and Parks Department assumed care of the station, opened the grounds for use as a park. Between the years of 1927 and 1941, the light was managed by the City of Los Angeles. Because it did not have a fog-signalling apparatus, it was a one-keeper station until 1941. On July 1, 1939, the Bureau of Lighthouses in the Department of Commerce and its functions were transferred to, consolidated with and administered as a part of the Coast Guard. On December 7th, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked, and the west coast was blacked out, for fear of being seen as a beacon to enemy ships and planes. The light at Point Fermin was extinguished on December 9, 1941, never to be lit again. In 1942, the U.S. Navy took over the lighthouse, deactivated the light, removed the lens, and dismantled the lantern room and the gallery, on top of the lighthouse tower. The Navy built a box shaped lookout tower, and placed it on top of the residence. This unsightly addition remained for the next 30 years, and was often referred to by the locals as the "chicken coop." A steel tower was later built with an automatic light, at the edge of the bluff, to replace the light, provided by the original lighthouse. During WWII, the lighthouse served as a U.S. Navy Direction Finding Station, and a collocated U.S. Naval Radio Station, The lighthouse itself served as a lookout tower. The radar and direction finder equipment took over sentry and signaling duties, providing navigation aid to ships coming into the San Pedro Harbor. After WWII, in 1945, the U.S. Navy returned the lighthouse to the custody of the City of Los Angeles. The lighthouse dwelling became a residence for park maintenance employees. In the 1950's, the lighthouse fell into disuse and disrepair. Restoration efforts were spurred on in the 1960's by Coast Guard plans to tear down the lighthouse. In 1972, two devoted citizens, Bill Olesen and John Olguin, raised funds and worked diligently to restore the lighthouse. By 1973, they had the lighthouse entered on the National Registry of Historic Places. A new replacement lantern room, and gallery were built between 1972 and 1974. With the help of local off-duty firemen, Olesen and Olguin finished the new lantern room, just days before it was set into place on the lighthouse's 100th birthday, in 1974. Although the light is not operational, having been deactivated in 1942, the Point Fermin Lighthouse is one of San Pedro's most recognized landmarks and was used as the model for the San Pedro Centennial logo. >From 1972, the original keeper's dwelling was the residence of the park superin- tendent, and from 1972 until 2003, the lighthouse was not open to the public. Today, the surrounding area is the Point Fermin Park. In 2002, the lighthouse was restored, retro-fitted, and rehabilitated for public access, with funds provided by the City of Los Angeles, the Port of Los Angeles, and the State of California. The lighthouse was opened to the public on November 1, 2003, under the management of the Department of Recreation and Parks, for the City of Los Angeles. Volunteers from the Point Fermin Lighthouse Society serve as tour guides and help keep the lighthouse open to the public. This graceful Victorian-style building surrounded by colorful flower gardens, is one of the oldest lighthouses on the west coast. It served as an aid to safe passage between the Channel Islands and into the San Pedro Harbor, for nearly one hundred years. In 2005, the lighthouse celebrated its 130th birthday. Point Fermin Park Point Fermin Park consists of 37 landscaped acres of tree-shaded lawns, sheltered pergolas, colorful gardens and a promenade along the edge of the palisade. The vantage point atop the rugged bluffs affords a breathtaking view of the coast toward Santa Catalina Island. You may even be able to spot playful dolphin and harbor seals from the cliffs. There are picnic areas, a playground and a small amphitheater. Two trails west of the area lead to the beach and tide pools below. The park provides spectacular views of the coast and Channel Islands. Army and Navy Y.M.C.A. In 1919, when the San Pedro Y.M.C.A. was founded, its mission was to provide athletic and social activities for the Army personnel at Fort MacArthur. By 1926, with the construction of an additional breakwater allowing more Navy ships to anchor in San Pedro bay, the small frame building on North Harbor Boulevard was no longer adequate. The new facility, a five-story Spanish Colonial Revival style structure on the bluff overlooking the harbor's main channel, was known as the Army and Navy Y.M.C.A. With 300 dormitory rooms, a gymnasium, running track, banquet room, patio, pool, boxing and wrestling rooms and a coffee shop, the Y.M.C.A. was a hub of activity. During World War II, it provided recreation and temporary quarters for over four million men. Celebrities such as Bob Hope and Lucille Ball stopped to entertain on their way overseas. In 1947, the Y.M.C.A. changed to a "civilian" organization, and dormitory rooms began to be booked by young travelers and senior citizens. In 1958, the Y.M.C.A. moved to its present facility. The Beacon Street building was purchased in 1967 for use as temporary housing for the homeless mentally ill, and is now known as Harbor View House. Navy Direction Finding Station, Point Fermin, CA 1942 1945 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Point Fermin, CA 1942 1945 =================================================================================== Point Hueneme, California The City of Port Hueneme (pronounced "Why-KNEE-Mee") is located on the vast Oxnard plain, in Ventura County, approximately 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles, and 50 miles south of Santa Barbara. Port Hueneme, once Point Hueneme, is located at the toe of the Santa Clara Valley, 53 miles northwest of Point Fermin. The port at Hueneme is the only deep water port between Los Angeles and San Francisco and is used as an entry point for ships carrying cargo from the Pacific rim. The placename Hueneme is derived from a Chumash Indian word (Wynema) meaning "half- way" or "resting place." It is believed that central California's original inhabitants, the Canalinos Indians, (part of the Chumash nation), used this coastal point of land (approximately half way between today's Point Mugu and the mouth of the Santa Clara River) as a resting place, as well as a launching point for fishing expeditions. The point at Hueneme is the closest point (11 miles) from which to cross the Santa Barbara channel, between the mainland and Anacapa Island, a prime Chumash fishing area. The Point Hueneme Lighthouse, established in 1874, is located at the east entrance to the Santa Barbara Channel, which runs between the California coast and the Channel Islands. The Point Hueneme lighthouse grounds were purchased by the U.S. Government in 1874, and were deeded on March 27, 1874. The ornate two-story Victorian wood structure was nearly identical to the lighthouse at Point Fermin and both lights were first lit on December 15, 1874. The original Point Hueneme Lighthouse was a near twin to Point Fermin and East Brothers Lighthouses in California, Point Adams Lighthouse in Oregon and Hereford Inlet Lighthouse in New Jersey. Established on about 46 acres of land, the lighthouse tower was situated directly on the dwelling. The double dwelling, with 4 rooms upstairs and 4 rooms downstairs, served as quarters for the the Keeper, the Assistant Keeper and their families. The government originally erected a fog signal at this site in 1874, as an economy move in hopes of avoiding the high cost of building a lighthouse on Anacapa Island, 11 miles to the southwest. Though Anacapa received a lighthouse in 1932, the light at Point Hueneme remains, even today, essential to navigation, with its fog signal warning ships, potentially hampered by the fog, which is prevalent in the area from July to October. The light flashed white until 1889, when the signal was changed to fixed red. In 1892, the light displayed an occulting white signal. The fourth order Fresnel lens was installed in 1899, displayed flashing white. On July 1, 1939, the Bureau of Lighthouses in the Department of Commerce and its functions were transferred to, consolidated with and administered as a part of the Coast Guard. By July 4, 1940, the Port of Hueneme was completed. The construction of the channel entrance to the harbor was such that the new harbor would have been dangerously close to the lighthouse. In addition, encroaching seas and erosion forced the removal of some of the buildings on the site. The Coast Guard decided to construct a new Lighthouse at the east side of the port's channel, and move the remaining structures. The original lighthouse was replaced with a new concrete Art Moderne structure, which was electrified. The entire tower and lantern room were removed from the old light- house, and relocated to the new lighthouse building. The fourth order Fresnel lens, which was manufactured in 1897, and previously installed in the old lighthouse in 1899, was relocated to the current structure. The new lighthouse was first relit in the new structure, and placed back in service, in 1941. The new square-shaped 48-foot high, buff-colored tower was constructed of concrete, and was situated directly on the one-story flat fog signal building, at the entrance to the deep-water port at Hueneme. The light shines from the north side of the east entrance to the Santa Barbara Channel. The Keeper, Assistant Keeper and their families did not live in the lighthouse/fog building structure. Cottages dwellings were constructed nearby, and are still standing; however they are no longer owned by the Coast Guard. The old building, without the lantern room, was purchased from the government for $51, and barged across the harbor, to the west side of the port's channel, for use by a local yacht club; an operation that was completed in February, 1940. The relocated lighthouse building, on the west side of the port's channel, having been severely neglected at its new location, was in a total state of disrepair. The lightstation was demolished in 1941. The Naval Construction Battalion Center (CBC), Port Hueneme, was originally constructed as a temporary depot in the early days of World War II. On March 5, 1942, during World War II, the U.S. Navy confiscated the port and made it into a Naval Base, including Hueneme Harbor and the surrounding area. After acquiring the port, the U.S. Navy acquired additional land, and began building an Advanced Base Depot (ABD) to supply the needs of the Navy's construction battalions operating in the Pacific. On May 18, 1942, the 1,600-acre Construction Battalion Center, home of the Seebees, was established at Port Hueneme. The CBC was established to train, stage and supply the newly created Naval Construction Force. During WWII, the center was responsible for the staging and shipping of 20 million tons of supplies and equipment and more than 200 thousand men needed in support of the war effort. More construction supplies and equipment was shipped from Port Hueneme than from any other port in the U.S. In 1942, the U.S. Navy moved in with the U.S. Coast Guard at the newly rennovated lighthouse. During WWII, the lighthouse also served as a U.S. Navy Direction Finding Station, and collocated U.S. Naval Radio Station. The lighthouse tower doubled as a lookout tower. The Navy built a small barracks alongside the keepers cottages. Sailors and Coast Guardsmen were stationed at the Point Hueneme light, and manned the radar and direction finder equipment, providing navigation aid to ships coming into the Santa Barbara Channel. They also kept a watchful eye on the radar screens for Japanese submarines, who might attempt to gain entry to the channel, for purposes of sabotage and destruction of the Navy facilities. After WWII, in 1945, the U.S. Navy closed the Direction Finding Station, leaving an automated radio beacon behind, and vacated the lighthouse. Following the end of the Pacific war, in 1947, the Navy finalized a lease agreement with the Oxnard Harbor District and the port was returned to commercial operations. In the late 1960's, the station's 40-foot Coast Guard boat, used for search and rescue operations, was kept at the Seabee base at Port Hueneme. By this timeframe, there were 4 houses and a barracks house at Point Huneme. In the lighthouse building itself, there was a radio room, where 24-hour radio watches were stood. Coast Guardsmen also maintained the light and the Loran system on Anacapa Island. A crew of three Coast Guardsmen from Point Hueneme were stationed at Anacapa Island, rotating every 30 days. The light was automated in 1972, and is maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard as an active aid to navigation. The light is on the grounds of the Port of Hueneme. The lighthouse grounds and property are owned by the City of Hueneme, and the surrounding area was used as a city equipment yard, prior to the introduction of the Hueneme Aquacultural Business Park. The lighthouse is accessable for viewing by walking north on a public access pathway, along the shore, behind the stone breakwater, from the beach area surrounding the nearby Hueneme fishing pier, to the lighthouse. Access to the lighthouse itself is restricted and is posted as off-limits to the public by the Coast Guard. Currently, the Point Hueneme Light- house is only open to the public on the third Saturday of each month. In recent years, the Coast Guard refurbished the lighthouse building, and the site is now part of the Aquaculture Center, complete with a U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Museum. The Hueneme Aquacultural Business Park is comprised of various water oriented and port related tenants on 10 lots, located on 5.5 acres of land at the end of the peninsula, that encompasses the Point Hueneme Lighthouse and cottages. In addition to the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Museum, the Port Hueneme Chamber of Commerce and the Port Hueneme Historical Museum have displays on the history of the light station. Navy Direction Finding Station, Point Hueneme, CA 1942 1945 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Point Hueneme, CA 1942 1945 =================================================================================== Point Jiguero, Rincon, Peurto Rico Puerto Rico, the easternmost island of the Greater Antilles, was a Spanish colony until it was captured by U.S. forces during the Spanish-American War of 1898. It is now a self-governing commonwealth within the U.S. Rincón is a municipality of Puerto Rico, founded in 1771 by Luis de Añasco. It is located in the Western Coastal Valley, west of Añasco and Aguada. Rincón is spread over 8 wards and Rincón Pueblo, the downtown area and the administrative center of the city. Rincón has a population of about 17,000, and is the third richest municipality only after Carolina and San Juan. It is home to many of the best surfing beaches in Puerto Rico. The Point Jiguero (Punta Higuero) Lighthouse was built by the Spaniards in the early 1890s, and is located on the the west coast of Puerto Rico, on the northwest portion of the island, near the city of Rincon. The first brick masonry lighthouse was built on a 2.46 acre station, and was established in 1892. The original lens was a sixth order Fresnel lens installed in 1892. The lighthouse was attached to the keeper's dwelling. All lighthouses on Peurto Rico were annexed by Presidential Proclamation on June 30, 1903. the first Point Jiguero Lighthouse was damaged by an earthquake on October 18, 1918. The earthquake caused a tidal wave that destroyed the first Point Borinquen Lighthouse. Point Jiguero lighthouse sat high on a cliff and was not damaged by the pounding waves, but by the earthquake itself. The tower had massive horizontal cracks, and cracks about the windows and doors of the dwelling. The keepers were not allowed to move back in, but it was felt that the tower would be safe enough for the light. the new tower was built of reinforced concrete and was not attached to the keeper’s quarters. The new 69 foot tower is an octagonal cylinder, painted white, with a gallery and lantern roof painted black. First lit in 1922, it is still standing, and was automated in 1933; at which time, it was fitted with a 250 mm lens, and keepers were no longer required. The lighthouse is currently operational, and is a U.S. Coast Guard Active Aid to Navigation. The station is owned by the U.S. Coast Guard, and is leased to the municipality of Rincon. The site is open to the public, but the tower is not. The lighthouse is the centerpiece of El Faro Park, a tourist and recreation center, and a popular surfing and whale watching site. The park includes a visitor center and gift shop. Located off highway 413, north of Rincón at the easternmost point of the island, marking the entrance from the Atlantic to the Mona Passage. Navy Direction Finding Site, Point Jiguero, Peurto Rico at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Point Jiguero, Peurto Rico =================================================================================== Point Montara, Moss Beach, California Montara is small coastal community in San Mateo County, located south of Pacifica on Highway 1. The population, at the time of the 2000 census, was 2,950. The Gray Whale Cove State Beach is nearby. Montara is part of the San Francisco metro area. The community is perched on the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean, about 17 miles south of San Francisco. Residential streets extend up the slope above Highway 1, and residents enjoy strolling along the highway above the crashing surf. The wide beach, north of the cliffs and the town, is easily accessible. There is a post office, a general store and a cafe or two. Winter weather is the big secret of the locals. Winter days tend to be sunny and mild, while storms do occasionally batter the coast. Because of the magnificent surf crashing on beach and cliff, winter days are often nicer than summer days, due to the daily summer fog. The fog, thick enough to cut with a proverbial knife, tenaciously hugs the coast in the summer. While over the hill to the east, just 2 or 3 miles away, as the proverbial crow flies; around the San Francisco Bay, the hot sun beats down, driving the temperature up by as much as 40 degrees San Mateo County's early inhabitants included the Costanos Indians, Spanish explorers, early Mexican and Anglo settlers, Yankee immigrants of the gold-rush days, loggers, farmers, ranchers, dairymen, and fishermen. For a detailed history of San Mateo County, see Chapter 2 of the Coastside Cultural Resources of San Mateo County, at link: . The Point Montara Light Station, perched on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, is located on the southern approach to San Francisco Bay; on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately 25 miles south of San Francisco, near Half Moon Bay. The station was established in February, 1875; just next to Moss Beach, and included a fog signal, but no lighthouse. A Victorian residence, which had been built in 1863, housed the single keeper. On March 1, 1875, a 12 inch steam whistle began operation on Point Montara. It was the third fog-signal installed on the California coast. The first two were located at Año Nuevo and Yerba Buena Island. The Point Montara Station kept it's keepers busy, as the fog often lasts for more than 40 consecutive days. In 1882, a fog signal backup whistle was installed, and the U.S. Lighthouse Board reported that "the boilers and machinery were thoroughly overhauled and repaired and are now in good condition". The station received gradual upgrades, as area traffic increased. On November 26, 1900, a short light tower was erected atop the 70 foot cliffs, to work in tandem with the fog horn, and ensure a safe approach to the Golden Gate. It consisted of a red lens kerosene lantern hung on a post. It stood approximately 300 feet from the whistle tower. The old fog signal was torn down and a new one was built 1901. In 1912, a wooden skeleton lighthouse tower was built, separate from the other structures on the station. A fourth order Fresnel lens was installed in the tower. The light was electrified in 1919. The current thirty foot tower, conically shaped, was made of concrete and cast iron steel, and was built in 1928 to house the Fresnel lens. It was also first lit in 1928. It could be seen 14 miles out to sea. On July 1, 1939, the Bureau of Lighthouses in the Department of Commerce and its functions were transferred to, consolidated with and administered as a part of the Coast Guard. The attack on Pearl Harbor late in 1941, brought many changes to the San Mateo coastside. The Army, Navy and Coast Guard moved in, to prepare for a possible Japanese invasion. They constructed gun emplacements, communications posts, barracks, airstrips and other facilities. Some pre-existing buildings were confiscated for military purposes. Soldiers and Coast Guardsmen kept a 24-hour watch along the beaches. During World War Two, the Point Montara Light Station was managed by the Coast Guard and the The lighthouse also served as a lookout tower. The station housed military units including the K-9 Corps. Men and dogs would patrol the beaches below. A mobile artillery unit was also housed here. In 1942, the U.S. Navy was stationed at Point Montara, and operated a Navy Direction Finding Station, at a collocated U.S. Naval Radio Station. The Navy built a small barracks alongside the keepers houses. Sailors and Coast Guardsmen who were stationed at the Point Montara light, shared the duties and manned the radar and direction finder equipment, providing navigation aid to ships coming into the San Francisco Bay. Radar screens were monitored 24 hours a day for Japanese submarines, which might attempt to gain entry to the bay. After World War II, in 1945, the Navy closed the Direction Finding Station, leaving an automated radio beacon behind, and departed the Point Montara Station. The U.S. Army Post was originally established as Montara Tactical Position, and was located in San Mateo County, four miles south of the town of Montara. On January 26, 1943, the War Department leased 135 acres from McNee Company (a ranch located at the site property) and also leased 22.6 acres from the Hibernia Savings & Loan Society. The U.S. Army Post was also known as Camp Montara. The Point Montara Radar Station (J-80,) was a radar site manned by the 4th Antiaircraft Command, Western Defense Command, a unit of the Army Ground Forces. Later, all air defense radar functions were transferred to the Fourth Air Force, Army Air Forces. Both leases were terminated in November, 1947. The U.S. Army Post site is currently owned by the State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation and by several private property owners. >From 1945 to 1970, the Lighthouse Station was manned by three Coast Guardsmen, who operated Point Montara Light and fog signal. The Officer-in-Charge was a Petty Officer First Class Boatswain's Mate. In 1970, the Point Montara Light was a family station, with quarters provided by the U.S. Coast Guard. The Keepers quarters was a 2 bedroom duplex, constructed in 1961. A 3 bedroom house, which was built in 1863, was the Assistant Keeper's Quarters; and a therre was a separate quarters for any relief keeper's assigned. Coast Guardsmen and their dependents at Point Montara utilized Government medical facilities, and the commissary and post exchanges, located at nearby military posts in the San Francisco area. The nearest school was within walking distance (1/4 mile) from the station. The Light Station's original fourth order Fresnel lens was removed when the lighthouse was automated in 1970, and transferred to the San Mateo Historical Society. The lens was on display Society's Museum, until the museum moved in 1998. The lens is currently on display at the library of the College of Notre Dame, in Belmont, California. Today, the Point Montara Lighthouse is operational as an aid to navigation, and is maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard. An off shore horn buoy has replaced the fog signal. A small modern optic replaced the old Fresnel lens removed in 1970. The station is now part of the Golden Gate Recreational area, and is leased to Hostelling International USA. The turn-of-the-century buildings, including the keeper's dwelling, have been preserved and restored, and are now part of the hostel. The hostel has been in operation since 1980, through a partnership with the California State Parks. Guests are accommodated in both shared and private rooms in the former Coast Guard quarters and the historic fog signal building. Other recreation facilitiers in the area include the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, Pillar Point Harbor and Marsh, Mount Montara, and the quaint coastal town of Half Moon Bay. There are several beaches for swimming, surfing, kayaking, windsurfing, and horseback riding. Navy Direction Finding Station, Point Montara, CA 1942 1945 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Point Montara, CA 1942 1945 =================================================================================== Point Reyes, Inverness, California The Point Reyes Peninsula, which juts into the Pacific Ocean just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, has long been treacherous for ships traveling to and from San Francisco. One of America’s greatest coastlines, Point Reyes National Seashore comprises over 71,000 acres, including 32,000 acres of wilderness area. Estuaries, windswept beaches, coastal grasslands, salt marshes, and coniferous forests combine to create a haven of 80 miles of unspoiled and undeveloped coastline. Point Reyes National Seashore contains unique elements of biological and historical interest in a spectacularly scenic panorama of thunderous ocean breakers, open grasslands, bushy hillsides and forested ridges. Native land mammals number about 37 species and marine mammals augment this total by another dozen species. The biological diversity stems from a favorable location in the middle of California and the natural occurrence of many distinct habitats. Nearly 20% of the State's flowering plant species are represented on the peninsula and over 45% of the bird species in North America have been sighted. The Point Reyes National Seashore was established by President John F. Kennedy on September 13, 1962. A lighthouse was assigned to Point Reyes in 1855, but construction was delayed for fifteen years because of a dispute between the U.S. Lighthouse Board and the landowners over a fair price for the land. The Point Reyes Light Station is located in the Gulf of the Farralones, 19 miles from the nearest town of Inverness. It is a family station with a complement of four men, who maintained a first order light, fog signal and radio beacon. The lighthouse tower itself is a sixteen-sided structure of forged iron plate (the original tower) bolted to solid rock. The top of the lantern is 37 feet above the ground. The first order Fresnel lens was first lit on December 1, 1870. Electricity came to the lighthouse in 1938, and concrete steps were built into the cliff in 1939. The lighthouse was located at the bottom of the cliff near the water. To reach the light, men assigned must descend 304 steps on the headland from the plateau above the station where the family quarters are situated. The quarters are new, two-story, four-family units (four-plex) built in 1960. The four-plex contains two 2-bedroom and two 3-bedroom units. Buildings maintained on the property, in addition to the family quarters, were the fog signal building, engine room, pump house, paint locker, double garage and a four-car carport with adjoining office and work shop. Point Reyes is, by official records, the windiest and foggiest on the Pacific Coast. The station is frequently blanketed by week-long periods of fog and few years pass that do not see violent gales of 75 to 100 mph strike the area. Point Reyes Light Station is one of the District’s outstanding tourist attractions. On fair summer weekends there are several hundred visitors logged aboard. Escorting visitors has become a major portion of the duties of the men assigned. Dependent children on the station travelled three miles by station vehicle to school. Commissary and post exchange privileges were available at Hamilton Air Force Base (the nearest Armed Forces installation), or in the San Francisco area. The lighthouse was automated with an aero-beacon and the station was deactivated in 1975. A U.S. Livesaving Station was established near the east head of Point Reyes, abreast of Drakes Bay, 2 3/8 miles east of the Point Reyes Lighthouse. The land was conveyed in 1888, and the station was build in 1889. On January 28, 1915, the U.S. Lifesaving Service and its functions were consolidated with the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service to form the U.S Coast Guard. A new site was acquired in 1969, and the U.S. Coast Guard station at Point Reyes was delared excess by the U.S. Coast Guard, and turned over to the GSA. The Communication Area Master Station Pacific (CAMSPAC) in Point Reyes, is involved in handling all ship-to-shore communications with Coast Guard vessels operating in the Pacific. The CAMSPAC receiver site near Abbott’s Lagoon, along with its transmitter site in Bolinas, remotely control similar sites in Honolulu, Guam, and Kodiak, Alaska. Together, they handle communications for military and civilian vessels throughout the Pacific. The Point Reyes Receiver Site and the Bolinas Transmitter Site together employ 105 people. The Point Reyes facility has doubled in size since 1997. It controls 53 medium and high-frequency receivers and 12 antennas at the CAMSPAC Point Reyes Operations and Receiver Site and CAMSPAC Bolinas Transmitter Site. Broadcasting is another main task of CAMSPAC. Twenty high-frequency transmitters in Bolinas, along with others in Honolulu and Guam, form a network that relays more than 20,000 annual broadcasts throughout the Pacific. Weather data, hydrographic information, and "Notices to Mariners" are aired. Broadcasts originate at the Point Reyes facility and are sent to Bolinas via a microwave relay station above the Point Reyes lighthouse. Over the course of 1999, CAMSPAC Point Reyes became one of two Local Control Centers (LCC) for a new Defense Message System. Along with CAMSPAC Point Reyes, the Coast Guard has a search-and-rescue station in Bodega Bay, the Two Rock training center in Petaluma, and a housing site in the city of Point Reyes Station. The 37-acre Point Reyes Housing Site consists of 36 family housing units plus offices for engineering and supply staffs. Navy Direction Finding Station, Point Reyes, CA at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Point Reyes, CA =================================================================================== Point St. George, Crescent City, California Crescent City is situated on the Pacific in the "High North", and is located on Highway 101 on the Northern California coast, in Del Norte County, about 20 miles south of the Oregon border. Crescent City is 1.6 square miles in size with a population of 7,542 and a surrounding urban service area of approximately 15,000. County-wide the population is approximately 26,000 encompassing 1003 square miles. Crescent City was founded by gold-seekers in 1851, and gets its name from the horn- shaped bay. Point St. George is the headland immediately north of the harbor, which protects the town from the colder north winds. The area was originally christened Dragon Rocks by English explorer George Vancouver in 1792. Over time, the reef became known as St. George Reef. St. George Reef Light marks a hazardous reef off Point St. George near Crescent City. In 1865, the side-wheeler Brother Jonathan was lost at the reef with loss of 215 lives. Public outcry over the disaster spurred the Lighthouse Board to action. However, it was not clear where to build the light. The waveswept reef itself was deemed too difficult a location to build a lighthouse on, so in 1875 the Lighthouse Board planned to build a light at Point St. George. However, that location was rejected as being too far from the reef itself. In 1881, the Lighthouse Board finally settled on Seal Rock off Point St. George. Work began in 1882. The initial surveyors were only able to get to the rocks three times in four weeks due to the difficult weather conditions at the reef. When work began in 1883, a cable with attached cage was rigged between the schooner LaNinfa and the rocks. This served as a means of transporting workers to the rock - and quickly back again in the event of an impending storm. It is somewhat remarkable that in the entire construction period that only a single worker was lost. When the light was finally completed in 1892, the light cost $704,633.78, making it the most expensive lighthouse ever built in the U.S. Duty at the station was difficult at best, and hazardous at worst. Families were not allowed at the station. the tower was cold and inhospitable. Storms were frequent. Keepers were rotated - on for several weeks, then off for several weeks. Relief only arrived when the weather allowed. Keepers could be stranded on the station for extended periods of time during storms. One group of keepers was stranded in 1937 for 59 days. The station was finally abandoned in 1975 and replaced by a large navigational buoy. The tower stood neglected until the 1980's when the St. George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society began work to transport the Fresnel lens to the Del Norte Historical Society. The lens was moved to the museum in 1983. Today, the society is working to restore the tower itself. The Coast Guard transferred the property to the society in 1996. St. George Reef Lighthouse was relit as a private aid to navigation on October 19, 2002. As of 2006, the lighthouse is being restored by St. George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society. The U.S. Naval Radio Station, Point St. George, CA was established in 1923. The co-located Navy Direction Finding Station commenced operations in 1925. In 1938, the Point St. George DF Station was re-designated as a Strategic High Frequenty Direction Finding Station. The HFDF station ceased operations, closed and was disestablished in August, 1944. The Point St. George facility is now part of Redwood National and State Park, which is operated jointly, and managed cooperatively by the National Park Service, a federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Redwood National Park was created in 1968. The three abutting Redwood State Parks, Prairie Creek, Del Norte Coast, and Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park were combined with Redwood National Park into a single unit in 1994. This degree of collaboration between the National Park Service and a state park system is unique in the nation. The park headquarters is located in Crescent City, California. Navy Direction Finding Station, Point St. George, CA 1925 1938 at Naval Radio Station (NAVRADSTA) Point St. George, CA Navy Strategic High Frequenty Direction Finding 1938 Aug 1944 Station, Point St. George, CA at Naval Radio Station (NAVRADSTA) Point St. George, CA Transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard =================================================================================== Port Angeles, Washington Port Angeles is a city in Clallam County, on the North Olympic Peninsula, Washington. According to the 2000 census, its population is 18,397, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Port Angeles is the county seat of Clallam County. The area's harbor was dubbed Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles (Port of Our Lady of the Angels) by Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza in 1791, but by the mid-1800s, the name had been shortened and partially anglicized to its current form. Port Angeles has been the county seat of Clallam County since 1890. It sits on a natural harbor that is protected by the long sand spit of Ediz Hook jutting into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Port Angeles was built on the site of two major Klallam Indian villages, I'e'nis and Tse-whit-zen, on the north shore of the Olympic Peninsula. Ediz Hook and the bay it protects are near the center of traditional Klallam territory, which extended along the Strait of Juan de Fuca from the Hoko River in the west, to beyond Discovery Bay in the east. The sheltered harbor, a prime location, has been inhabited for more than 2,700 years. For at least 400 years, two major Klallam villages shared the harbor area. I'e'nis was located on the east side, at the mouth of a salmon stream now called Ennis Creek. Both the creek and Ediz Hook derive their names from "I'e'nis," reported to mean "good beach." In the id to late 1800s, I'e'nis was fortified with a double stockade and was variously reported to have 200 to 1,500 residents. Tse-whit-zen was farther west, near the lagoon at the base of Ediz Hook. Archeological investigation in 2004 documented six longhouses in the village, along with a stockade similar to that observed at I'e'nis. Near Tse-whit-zen was a large cemetery, probably the burial place for a number of villages. With burial canoes hung from trees or from scaffolds, erected for the purpose, and decorated with blankets and other possessions, the cemetery was a prominent feature into the late 1800s. Like all villages in the area, Tse-whit-zen and I'e'nis were regularly visited by members of other tribal communities from Puget Sound, the Pacific coast, Vancouver Island, and even farther afield. The first non-Indians reached the villages in 1791. Spanish Naval vessels San Carlos and the Santa Saturnina, on an exploring expedition headed by Francisco de Eliza, entered the deep harbor, that Eliza named Puerto de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles. British Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver (1757-1798) followed the Spanish a year later. He shortened and anglicized the name Eliza gave the harbor to its present form. Even before the explorers reached them, the villagers had been decimated by European diseases. However, the Klallam remained the Port Angeles area's only inhabitants for another 60 years. Founded in 1862, a few years after the first handful of American settlers took up residence among the Klallam villagers, Port Angeles grew slowly until the late 1880s, when the booming economy and the arrival of the utopian Puget Sound Cooperative Colony drew an influx of settlers. In 1890 the city incorporated and won the Clallam County seat, positioning it as the county's civic, commercial and industrial center. The primary industry was processing the harvest from the massive old growth forests, that stretched south and west from Port Angeles in the foothills of the Olympic range. For most of the twentieth century large lumber, pulp, paper, and plywood mills along the city's waterfront powered the economy. New Deal agencies and programs established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1881-1945) to combat the economic hard times provided much-needed jobs and helped to build institutions that continue to play important roles in the economic and civic life of Port Angeles. Beginning in 1934, the Works Progress Administration (WPA), working with the Army and Navy, developed an airport just west of downtown. Home to a fighter squadron during World War II, after the war, the airport became the Clallam County Municipal Landing Field. The Port of Port Angeles took over operations in 1951 and the facility was later named the William R. Fairchild International Airport. The WPA also built the headquarters for the Coast Guard Air Station, commissioned at Ediz Hook in 1935. The Coast Guard base forced a relocation of Klallam families originally from Tse-whit-zen who had previously moved out onto the spit, as mills were built over their old village location. The federal government moved them to land along the Elwha River, west of the city, which later became the Lower Elwha Klallam Reservation. Congress created Olympic National Park in the mountains south of Port Angeles in 1938, and park headquarters were built on Peabody Heights, in Port Angeles; the first time a national park headquarters was located outside park boundaries. Although the New Deal programs helped, it was the economic stimulus of World War II that finally ended the Depression. Even before the U.S. entered the war, demand for all kinds of forestry products was soaring, among them plywood. In the first decades of the twentieth century, researchers developed improved glues (first from skim milk, then from soybeans) to hold separate wood sheets together and devised ways to make the resulting plywood waterproof. Many plywood mills using the new techniques were built as cooperatives, with workers investing together to own the plant. In 1941, 272 members opened the cooperative Peninsula Plywood Company on the center of the Port Angeles waterfront to help meet the wartime demand for plywood. Ediz Hook Lighthouse The Ediz Hook Lighthouse was relocated from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Ediz Hook, a long spit extending into Port Angeles Harbor. The station was established in 1861, during the Civil War, and the fifth order Fresnel lens was first lit on April 2, 1865. The original square tower was located on the roof of keeper's house. In 1885, a fog bell tower was added. By 1900, the lighthouse and fog bell were outmoded. The lighthouse was deactivated in 1908, and the lighthouse tower was demolished. The tower was replaced by an octagonal wooden tower, which was then placed back on the roof of the keeper's dwelling. The lantern from the 1865 lighthouse was transferred to the 1908 tower. In 1936, a new skeletal steel tower was built atop a control tower beacon, on top of the Port Angeles Coast Guard Air Station hangar, and the lantern was replaced by a modern beacon. In 1946, the 1908 lighthouse keepers dwelling, without it's light tower, was sold and was barged across the harbor to the city of Port Angeles, where it is now a private residence. The light station site is now part of the active Port Angeles Coast Guard Air Station. The beacon is an active U.S. Coast Guard aid to navigation. Coast Guard Air Station The Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles was built in 1934 and commissioned in August, 1935. It was the first Coast Guard Air Station on the Pacific Coast. Established to aid in law enforcement and anti-smuggling operations, the station almost immediately became involved in what is today its primary mission, protection of life and property at sea. At the outbreak of World War II, the Air Station became an important outpost for the defense of the Northwest. A gunnery school was established to train aerial gunners and local defense. By the summer of 1942, most of the planes stationed at Port Angeles were kept busy investigating reports of enemy submarines in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and offshore waters. Other planes were used for convoy escort duty and for towing practice targets for the gunnery school. By 1943 the Air Station had responsibility for all Coast Guard antisubmarine and rescue activities down to the California border. By this time, there were detachments of aircraft and boats at Neah Bay and Quillayute in Washington; and Astoria and North Bend, in Oregon. The Air Station was also the home of the only Coast Guard Land Rescue Team, which proved instrumental in saving the lives of many Naval pilots who crashed in this region, while engaged in the massive training effort for the war. Additional duties of the Station included the operation of a Harbor Pilot Station, a Navy Routing Office, which was responsible for the coordination of shipping movements in the Northwest, and the operation of a Port Security office in Port Angeles. In the 1970s, helicopters became the mainstay of the CGAS Port Angeles station’s aircraft, and the station was all helicopters by 1976. The current duties at CGAS Port Angeles involved Search and Rescue, law enforcement, aids to navigation, marine environmental protection, and enforcement of laws and treaties. Resources to accomplish these missions included 3 Sikorsky HH-52A helicopters and a 41 foot utility boat. As of 2007, the Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles at Ediz Hook remains operational. Navy Direction Finding Station, Port Angeles, WA at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Port Angeles, WA =================================================================================== Port Eads, South Pass, Louisiana Port Eads, Louisiana, is located at the southern tip of the Mississippi River, also known as South Pass in Plaquemines Parish. It is the southern most point in Louisiana. At the Head of Passes, the river separates into three main fingers. Port Eads is found at the bottom of the center branch. A lighthouse there serves ocean going ships. It is accessible only by boat and helicopter. It is used primarily by offshore fishermen who begin their journey in Venice, Louisiana, 20.3 miles to the north. Port Eads offers docking and refueling premises, primitive rooms for rent, weigh station, and a small restaurant. Because of its location, offshore fishermen from around the country flock to Port Eads. It is the closest port to the continental shelf, the 100 fathom curve, in the entire Gulf of Mexico. The shelf is five miles from the port. The Head of Passes is where the main stem of the Mississippi River branches off into three distinct directions at its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico, Southwest Pass (Burrwood) (west), Pass A Loutre (east) and South Pass (Port Eads) (center). They are part of the "Bird's Foot Delta", the youngest lobe of the evolving Mississippi River Delta. The Head of Passes is considered to be the location of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains a 45-foot shipping channel from the mouth of Southwest Pass, 20 miles downriver from the Head, up to Baton Rouge, the U.S.'s furthest inland deep-water port. During the American Civil War, Head of Passes was the site of several Naval battles. The Anaconda Plan called for a large Union blockade of the Confederacy, and included plans to control the Mississippi River. This began in 1861 with a Union blockade stationed at the Head of Passes. Ships involved in the ensuing conflict at the location include the CSS Manassas, the USS Vincennes, and the USS Richmond. The Mississippi River in the 100-mile-plus stretch between the port of New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico, frequently suffered from silting up of its outlets, stranding ships or making parts of the river unnavigable for a period of time. James Buchanan Eads (1820-1887) solved the problem with a wooden jetty system that narrowed the main outlet of the river, which caused the river to speed up and cut its channel deeper, so allowing year-round navigation. He was thus honored by having the port at South Pass named after him. The South Pass Range Lights Station, located at the entrance to the Mississippi River was established in 1831. The was also known as South Point, Gordon’s Island or the Port Eads Lighthouse. In 1829, $40,000 was appropriated for a lighthouse at South Pass and at the Southwest Pass. The lighthouse, with a third order Fresnel lens, was first lit in 1832. In 1839, the Keeper’s dwelling knocked off its foundation by logs, and swept downriver. In 1841, the entire station was destroyed by a storm. In 1841, a replacement tower was built across river from the original location. In 1847, the wooden tower was decayed beyond repair and a new wooden tower was completed in 1848. In 1861, Confederate troops removed the original third order lens from the lighthouse, and a replacement third order Fresnel revolving lens was installed. Sometime between 1863 and 1867, the third order Fresnel lens was replaced by a fourth order lens. In 1867, the U.S. Lighthouse Board asked Congress to approve funding for building a new, taller, iron tower. The funding was approved, and $50,000 for a new tower was appropriated by Congress. A trip to South Pass today shows little evidence of the bustling building camp called Port Eads or of the jetties James Buchanan Eads put in place. The jetties were completed in 1879. A large portion of Eads' original jetties do still survive, even though you can't see any of the original work. Almost the entire length of the west outer jetty and up to a third of the east jetty are now covered with sand, a process that began very early, even before 1900. The concrete blocks and stone work put in place by Eads are likely there even though they are well beneath the surface of the water. In their day, the Eads' jetties made a big impact, not only on the economy of New Orleans, but on the entire Mississippi River valley. Between 1879, when the jetties were completed and the channel reached a depth of 30 feet, and 1900, New Orleans' trade increased 100 percent. In 1881, a new iron tower was constructed at the South Pass Range Lighthouse and replaced the old wooden tower. The fourth order Fresnel lens was removed from the old tower, and was first lit in the new tower in 1881. In 1894, a Lightship (LV-43) was anchored at the South Pass Station, with 2 lanterns, each with oil lamps and reflectors; and a fog signal, a 12" steam whistle and a hand operated 1000 lb bell. Lightship LV-43 had previously been stationed at the Trinity Shoal Lighthouse, Louisiana from 1881 to 1894. In 1912, Lightship LV-43 was transferred to the Southwest Pass Lighthouse, Louisiana until 1917. She was laid up and designated as a relief from 1917 to 1920, retired in 1920 at age 39, and sold on June 17,1920 for $5,875. In 1919, a second lighthouse station was established, known as the South Pass West Jetty. The station included a fog buildng and a keepers dwelling. In 1947, a second lighthouse was erected at South Pass. The skeletal tower was built to act as front range to the existing South Pass Lighthouse. The second lighthouse was known as the South Pass Range Front Light, and also known as South Pass West Jetty Light. The South Pass Range Front Light in no longer operational. In 1951, the first order Fresnel lens was removed from the Port Eads, South Pass lighthouse, and was replaced by a DCB-224 optic. The lighthouse was automated in 1971, and is still operational, as a U.S. Coast Guard active aid to navigation. Port Eads was completely devastated by Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 Atlantic hurricane that devastated New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast. Very little remained, except the lighthouse and a few very lucky fishing camps. U.S. Navy Signal Station Navy Direction Finding Station, Port Eads, South Pass, LA 1923 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Port Eads, South Pass, LA =================================================================================== Port Hueneme, Oxnard, California City of Port Hueneme The City of Port Hueneme is located on the south central coast of California, 60 miles north of Los Angeles and 50 miles south of Santa Barbara. Neighboring communities include Oxnard, Ventura, and Camarillo. The area is commonly referred to as "The Gold Coast." The coastal area of Ventura County boasts some of the finest weather available anywhere. The name derives from the Spanish spelling of the Chumash Indian word "wene me", meaning "halfway" or "resting-place", between Point Mugu and the estuary of the Santa Clara River. The population was 21,845 at the 2000 census. It boasts a south-facing beach, known for its surfing and beach park, which stretches eastward about a mile from the harbor and the Naval Base, and includes a fishing pier. City of Oxnard Oxnard is the largest city in Ventura County, in terms of population. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain, and is one of the world's most important agricultural centers, with its distinction as the strawberry and lima bean capital. Founded in 1903, it is home to nearly 200,000 citizens and is the largest city in the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura Metropolitan Area. The city is home to two large U.S. Navy bases (Port Hueneme and Point Mugu). The Port of Hueneme is the busiest commercial port between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Oxnard is also a major transit hub in Southern California, with Amtrak, Union Pacific, Metrolink, Greyhound, Intercalifornias and many others stopping in Oxnard. Before the arrival of Europeans, the area that is now Oxnard was inhabited by the Chumash Indians. The first European to encounter the area was Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, who claimed it for Spain in 1542. During the mission period, it was serviced by the Mission San Buenaventura, established in 1782. Ranching began to take hold among Californio settlers, who lost their regional influence when California became a U.S. state in 1850. At about the same time, the area was settled by American farmers, who cultivated barley and lima beans. Henry Oxnard, who operated a successful sugar beet factory with his three brothers Ben, James, and Robert, in Chino, California; was enticed to build a two million dollar factory on the plain inland from Port Hueneme. Shortly after the 1897 beet campaign, a new town soon emerged. Ironically, the Oxnard brothers never lived in their namesake city, and they sold both the Chino and the giant red brick Oxnard factory, with its landmark twin smokestacks, in 1899, for nearly four million dollars. The Oxnard factory operated from August 19, 1899 until October 26, 1959. Given the growth of the town of Oxnard, in the spring of 1898, a railroad station was built to service the plant, which attracted a population of Chinese, Japanese, and Mexican laborers and enough commerce to merit the designation of a town. Henry Oxnard intended to name the settlement after the Greek word for sugar -- "zachari", but frustrated by bureaucracy, named it after himself. Oxnard was incorporated as a California city on June 30, 1903, and the public library was opened in 1907, one of only three built west of the Mississippi river, financed by Andrew Carnegie. Prior to and during World War II, the Naval bases of Point Mugu and Port Hueneme were established in the area, to take advantage of the only major navigable port on California's coast, between the Port of Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay. The Naval bases also encouraged the development of the defense-based aerospace and communications industries. In the 1950's, mid-century Oxnard grew and developed the areas outside of downtown Oxnard with homes, industry, retail, and a new harbor named Channel Islands Harbor. Martin V. "Bud" Smith (1916-2001) became the most influential developer in the history of Oxnard during this time. Smith's first enterprise in 1941, was the Colonial House Restaurant (demolished 1988) and then the Wagon Wheel Junction in 1947. He was also involved in the development of the high rise towers at the Topa Financial Plaza, the Channel Islands Harbor, Casa Sirena Resort, the Esplanade Shopping Mall, Fisherman's Wharf, the Carriage Square Shopping Center, the Maritime Museum, and many other major hotel, restaurant and retail projects. Oxnard Harbor Oxnard is home to one harbor, the Channel Islands Harbor, with Ventura Harbor located in adjacent Ventura. Channel Islands Harbor is located on the south shore of Oxnard and is nicknamed the "Gateway to the Channel Islands" because of the high number of commercial commerce enterprises that sail to the islands out of the harbor. Both harbors are vital fishing industry harbors. Port of Hueneme The Port of Hueneme is the only deep water port between the Port of Long Beach and the Port of San Francisco, and the only military deep water port between San Diego Bay and Puget Sound. It is operated jointly by the U.S. Navy and the Oxnard Harbor District. The port is a shipping and receiving point for a wide variety of goods destined for, and shipped from, the Los Angeles Basin. Naval Base Ventura County The U.S. Navy maintains the facility at Port Hueneme, in support of the Naval Air Station at Point Mugu to the south, with which it comprises Naval Base Ventura County. Port Hueneme is the west coast home of the Construction Battalion, the Seabees, as well as a link in the coastal radar system. Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) is the largest employer in Ventura County, and is the key component of the economy of the City of Port Hueneme. NBVC and its tenants employ over 6,000 civilians, 9,000 military personnel and 1,300 contractor personnel. In addition, NBVC hosts over 60 tenant commands. Navy at Port Hueneme The Naval Construction Battalion Center (CBC), Port Hueneme, is the west coast homeport of the Navy’s mobile construction force. CBC supports the training and mobilization requirements for more than 2,600 active duty personnel. The CBC operates the 1,600-acre Port Hueneme Naval Base, including more than 29 miles of roads and streets, and 10 miles of railroad track. Port Hueneme provides furnishes training, administrative, and logistic support for Seabees serving around the world. Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division (NSWCPHD) is part of the Naval Sea Systems Systems Command (NAVSEA). NSWCPHD is NAVSEA's test and evaluation, in-service engineering and integrated logistics support services center, for surface and mine warfare combat and weapons systems. Weapons systems include Point Defense, NATO Seasparrow, Harpoon, Tomahawk and AEGIS. The Surface Warfare Engineering Facility (SWEF) Port Hueneme is a land based test site and laboratory facility, that allows research, development, testing and evaluation of systems designed for use by the fleet. The SWEF's ocean front environment makes it possible to simulate shipboard operational problems and evaluate performance, without the expense of using ships at sea, or the personnel to support these operations. Also located on the military facility at Port Hueneme is the Navy and Marine Corps Operational Support Center Port Hueneme, which is the successor command to the Naval Reserve Center Santa Barbara. Navy at Point Mugu The Naval Air Weapons Station, Point Mugu, operates and maintains station facilities and provides support services for the Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division (NAWCWD) and assigned tenants and activities. NAWCWD includes the Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS), Point Mugu CA, the Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake CA, and the Naval Ordnance Missile Test Station (NOMTS), White Sands, NM. As a result of realignment actions taken in 2000, the Point Mugu base is now part of Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC), a consolidated organization that includes the former Naval Construction Battalion Center, Port Hueneme and Naval Air Station, Point Mugu. The main base complex at Point Mugu, consist of 4,500 acres, located on the California coast, approximately 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Mugu beach is believed to be the site where Juan Cabrillo landed on October 10, 1542. "Muwu" was the capital village of the Chumash Indians located along the shores of Mugu Lagoon. Most of Point Mugu's early history centers around ranching, farming, and the famous Mugu fish camp. Several major commands have been located at Point Mugu, including the U.S. Naval Air Missile Test Center, established on October 1, 1946; the Naval Air Station, established on August 1, 1949; the Pacific Missile Range, established on June 16, 1958; the Naval Missile Center, established on January 7, 1959; the Pacific Missile Test Center, established on April 26, 1975; and the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division and the Naval Air Weapons Station, established on January 21, 1992. 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard, Channel Islands Air National Guard Station In December, 1988, after more than six decades of Air National Guard flying tradition in the San Fernando Valley, the 146th Airlift Wing of the California Air National Guard began moving from Van Nuys Air National Guard Base (ANGB) to a brand new facility, built on 206 acres of Federal, land leased to the State of California, adjacent to the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) Point Mugu, an active duty Navy flying installation. Located in Ventura County, near the cities of Oxnard and Port Hueneme, the Channel Islands Air National Guard Station was constructed at a cost of more than 90 million dollars, and is widely recognized as one of the newest and best flying facilities in the Air National Guard. The buildings, hangars, flightline, and grounds feature state-of-the-art design and construction. The 146th flys from the military airfield at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, along with Navy and other Federal aviation activities. Naval Construction Battalion Center (CBC) History, World War II The Naval Construction Battalion Center (CBC), Port Hueneme, was originally constructed as a temporary depot in the early days of World War II. On March 5, 1942, during World War II, the U.S. Navy confiscated the port and made it into a Naval Base, including Hueneme Harbor and the surrounding area. After acquiring the port, the U.S. Navy acquired additional land, and began building an Advanced Base Depot (ABD) to supply the needs of the Navy's construction battalions operating in the Pacific. On May 18, 1942, the 1,600-acre Construction Battalion Center, home of the Seebees, was established at Port Hueneme. The CBC was established to train, stage and supply the newly created Naval Construction Force. A private company, the Pacific Naval Air Bases Company operated the depot throughout World War II, under contract to the Navy. The depot expanded regularly and by 1945, it could accommodate up to 21,000 base personnel and SeaBees in transit. The docks could handle 9 cargo ships and two tank landing craft simultaneously, and the rail yard could hold up to 2,000 boxcars. During WWII, the center was responsible for the staging and shipping of 20 million tons of supplies and equipment and more than 200,000 men, in support of the war effort. More construction supplies and equipment was shipped from Port Hueneme than from any other port in the U.S. After the war, Port Hueneme was designated a permanent installation. The Navy took over operations and as other Naval depots closed down around the country, some of their operations and personnel were transferred to Port Hueneme. NAVRADSTA/NAVDFSTA Port Hueneme During World War II, in 1942, a U.S. Naval Radio Station, with a collocated Navy Direction Finding Station was established at Port Hueneme. Radiomen manned the direction finder equipment, providing navigation aid to ships entering the port. After WWII, in 1945, the U.S. Navy closed the Direction Finding Station. Korean War / Vietnam Conflict / Middle East The Korean War coflict escalated in 1950. Almost all of the Navy's construction equipment and supplies used in the Korean War, were routed through Port Hueneme. The CBC supported all construction in Southeast Asia and the Pacific during the lull following the Korean War, at the same time keeping itself and its battalions in a state of readiness. Waterfront facilities were updated. Replacement of deteriorated wooden piers with concrete and many other improvements were made throughout the base. In 1962, the U.S. became actively engaged in the conflict in Vietnam. At the height of the conflict, the CBC shipping tonnages soared to levels unmatched since WWII. Following the Vietnam conflict, the center again shifted to peacetime support of the Seabees. When the Army of Iraq invaded Kuwait in August of 1990, the CBC supported the Navy once more. More than 1,800 Port Hueneme Seabees built camps and countless miles of roads in the Middle East. Again, the CBC provided integral support, shipping of supplies and equipment needed to support, not only the Seabees and the Navy, but the Army, Air Force and Marines as well. Navy Direction Finding Station, Port Hueneme, CA 1942 1945 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Port Hueneme, CA =================================================================================== Port Isabel, Texas Port Isabel is a city located in Cameron County, on the Gulf of Mexico, in the extreme southern portion of Texas, with a total area of 2.9 square miles. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 4,865. There are three world class museums, which bring history to life, including the Port Isabel Historic Museum, the Treasures of the Gulf Museum, and the 1852 Port Isabel Lighthouse. The Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage has been restored, and contains the local Chamber of Commerce. As the oldest city in south Texas, Port Isabel and has a long and interesting history dating back to 1519, when it was charted by Spanish explorer Alonzo de Pineda, while on a mapping expedition of the Gulf shores. The Laguna Madre area, was long inhabited by the coastal Barrado Indians and also by pirates. There are tales of pirate's treasures still buried on South Padre Island. Spanish control was established here in the late 1700s, as ranchers began moving into the vicinity from Mexico. By the 1830s a small settlement, El Fronton de Santa Isabella (Bluff of Saint Isabel), served as headquarters for a large Mexican ranch. The Point Isabel region passed almost uneventfully through the period of the Texas Republic to statehood, but it gained widespread attention in 1846. In late April, General Zachary Taylor moved his troops into this area north of the Rio Grande when hostilities between the U.S. and Mexico seemed imminent. Within two weeks, war had begun. The opening battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma were fought north of present-day Brownsville. Point Isabel received the wounded form these initial struggles and served as an American supply depot for the duration of the war. After the Mexican War (1846-1848), the U.S. Post Office of "Point Isabel" was created on April 9, 1849. The Point continued in use after the war, to supply two military stations on the Rio Grande, Fort Brown and Ringgold Barracks. Because of the heavy shipping traffic through Brazos Santiago Pass to Point Isabel, a navigational light became a necessity. Land at the point was made available by the War Department, money was authorized by Congress, and construction of a lighthouse was underway by 1851. Two years later, the brick tower had been completed and was topped by a stationary white light that could be seen for almost 16 miles. The Port Isabel Lighthouse has long been a dominant feature at the southern tip of the Texas Gulf Coast. The Civil War brought armed conflict once again to Point Isabel. Confederate forces held the area in the early stages of the war, but gave way in 1863 to Federal troops who were sent to strengthen the blockade on Southern shipping. Both sides used the lighthouse as an observation post. At nearby Palmetto Ranch, Union and Rebel soldiers clashed on May 13, 1865, more than a month after General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox, in what has since been acknowledged as the last battle of the Civil War. In 1866, the lighthouse was repaired and relit. For the next two decades its beacon guided large numbers of commercial vessels to southernmost Texas. The light was extinguished between 1888 and 1894 during negotiations over ownership of the site; when finally reactivated, its years of service were numbered. The lighthouse was abandoned permanently in 1905 after shipping traffic declined. Although the coast was later active with defense measures during the two world wars, the tower at Point Isabel stood a dark watch. The lighthouse and its associated buildings were donated to the state in 1950 as a historic site. The State Parks Board remodeled the tower by replacing the iron platform with concrete and by raising the glass dome to provide easier access for visitors. Additional repair work by the Parks and Wildlife Department was completed in 1970. At present, the tower is marked on sea charts as an aid to navigation. Of sixteen lighthouses constructed along the Texas coast, Port Isabel Lighthouse is the only one now open to the public Construction of the Point Isabel Wireless Station commenced in August, 1915, and by December, 1916 the station was operational. The station encompassed an area of approximately 20 acres. After World War I concluded, the U.S. Naval Radio Station Point Isabel was disestablished on August 24, 1923. On the same day, the U.S. Naval Radio Station at Brownsville, TX was established. The Point Isabel station was abandoned for the most part, and buildings on it were rented out until 1936, when the whole reservation was put on a reserve basis. On August 1, 1930, the name of the town was officially changed from Point Isabel to Port Isabel. The U.S. Naval Supplemtary Radio Station, Port Isabel was established on the site of the former U.S. Naval Radio Station in May, 1942; becoming a member of the West Coast HFDF Strategical Net in April, 1944. When World War II concluded, the station was disestablished and closed in March, 1945. The facility and site were transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard. The main U.S. Coast Guard Station for the district is located at the South Padre Station, South Padre Island, Texas. Naval Supplementary Radio Station (DF), Port Isabel, TX May 1942 Mar 1945 at Navy Radio Direction Finding Station, Port Isabel, TX Transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard =================================================================================== Poyner's Hill, Poplar Branch, Outer Banks, North Carolina Poyner's Hill is located near the city of Poplar Branch, in Currituck County, North Carolina, on the peninsula between Currituck Sound and North River. The place names of this area reflect the early Native American heritage. Currituck is a derivation of a Native American word meaning "land of the wild goose." Chowanog, Poteskeet and other tribes that lived on the mainland, used the barrier island as fishing and hunting grounds, and named it for its abundance of geese. Europeans, who began settling in the area in the 1600s, applied the word to the barrier island, the county, the sound and two inlets. In the late 1600s and early 1700s, a few European settlers resided on the northern barrier islands, but most people preferred to live on the mainland. Until the early 1800s, Currituck Banks was separated from Virginia by Old and New Currituck inlets and from Duck by Caffeys Inlet, so getting there was only possible by boat. By the mid-1800s there were several communities, tiny hamlets really, dotting the northern Outer Banks. There was Wash Woods nearest to the Virginia line, Seagull a little farther down near Penny’s Hill, Jones Hill, (also known as Whalehead or Currituck Beach, and now Corolla), and Poyners Hill between Corolla and Duck. The communities were extremely isolated and remote, set amidst the untamed marshes and dunes of the banks. Of these villages, the only one that stood the test of time was Corolla. Other villages petered out as times got hard, but a few residents always hung in there at Corolla. The village was able to thrive partly because of its abundance of government jobs, which offered steady pay. In 1873, when the village was still known as Jones Hill, construction began on the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. Land for the Guard Station station was acquired by donation from the Currituck Shooting Club in 1883. Poyners Hill Coast Guard Station was located near Poplar Branch, NC, six miles south-southeast of Currituck Beach Lighthouse. The red-brick lighthouse, which towered over the small village and the banks, was completed and lit on December 1, 1875. The first Keeper was appointed on December 2, 1878 and the first crew followed thirteen days later. The light keepers and their families added several new residents to the village. In 1874, the U.S. Life Saving Service established the Jones Hill Life Saving Station, just east of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse site. This station, which was later known as Currituck Beach Life Saving Station, was one of the seven original life-saving stations on the Outer Banks. Seven local men were hired to staff the station from December through March. The keeper in charge received a salary of $200 a year, while the six surfmen were paid $40 a month for four months, with an additional $3 for every wreck they attended. The surfmen lived at the station, while their families resided in the village. By 1895, Jones Hill was busy enough to have its own post office. The postal service, notorious for changing the traditional names of Outer Banks villages, required that the villagers send in several suggestions for an official name. The story goes that they submitted Jones Hill and Currituck Beach, and were looking for other suggestions, when someone mentioned that the inner part of a flower is called a corolla. That name was submitted and chosen by the postal service, forever changing the name of the small village. The U.S. Navy Radio Station, Poyner's Hill, NC was established in 1920. The station was redesignated as the U.S. Naval Supplementary Radio Station, Poyner's Hill, NC in December, 1939; with a co-located Navy Radio Direction Finding Station. The U.S. Coast Guard Station at Poyners Hill was rendered inactive and closed on May 24, 1937. The lighthouse, electrified in 1938, and automated in 1939, no longer required several keepers, just a caretaker. The U.S. Naval Supplementary Radio Station, Poyner's Hill closed at the conclusion of World War II, on July 15, 1945. World War Ii had a strong impact on the village of Corolla. The U.S. Coast Guard leased the Whalehead Club to use as a training base, bringing hundreds of sailors to the village. The Coast Guard had barracks and support buildings around the village and out on the beach near the Coast Guard Station (formerly the Life Saving Station). German U-boats came close to the shoreline of the Outer Banks, and locals were required to darken their windows and use no headlights when driving on the beach. After the war, the population of Corolla dwindled rapidly. Many residents left the banks to look for jobs on the mainland. In the late 1950s Corolla’s population reached its lowest point. There were only three families residing in the village. The Whalehead Club was empty most of the year. Later the Whalehead Club was converted into the headquarters for Atlantic Research, a rocket fuel testing facility. In the 1970s, only about 15 people lived in the village. People who visited or lived there back then, say that Corolla felt like the absolute end of the earth. The road leading to Corolla was just a clay trail along the soundside, with 'truck-swallowing holes' and sugar-fine sand that was nearly impossible to drive through. The Whalehead Club and lighthouse buildings were in grave disrepair. Corolla was wild and rugged and overgrown. In 1974, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service blocked the Virginia border to prevent excessive traffic in its Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Corolla residents were given special passes to be able to go through the gate. The border is still closed today. In October, 1984, the state took over the road leading to Corolla, and made it part of N.C. Highway 12. The state extended the road to pass thought Corolla, and it was the village’s first paved road. Development came quickly. Over the next decade, more than 1,500 homes were built on the Currituck Banks, between the Dare County line and Corolla village. In 1984, there were 422 homes, but by 1995, there were 1,966 homes. By the year 2000, there were 2,750 homes in that same area. Almost all of these homes are second homes and vacation rentals, sitting empty for most of the year. Down the road, the Currituck Beach Lighthouse and the Whalehead Club have developed modern appeal as tourist attractions. In 2001, The Coast Guard determined the Currituck Beach Lighthouse to be excess. Currituck Light was among the first lighthouses to be excessed after the passage of National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act (NHLPA). The Historical Services Administration deeded the keeper's house, and the land around the house, to the state of North Carolina. The lighthouse remained the property of the Federal government. The Keeper's house was empty, decaying, and open to the elements for further deterioration and vandalism. The Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc. signed a 50 year lease with the state of North Carolina, to begin restoring the property. The lighthouse was reopened to the public. The Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc. continued to maintain and restore the structures on the lighthouse property. Navy Radio Station (NAVRADSTA) Poyner's Hill, NC 1920 Dec 1939 Naval Supplementary Radio Station, Poyner's Hill, NC Dec 1939 15 Jul 1945 Navy Radio Direction Finding Station, Poyner's Hill, NC Transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard =================================================================================== Prices Neck, Newport Rhode Island Prices Neck, now part of the city of Newport, Rhode Island, is located on the Narragansett Bay. Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound. The Bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor, and includes a small archipelago. While there are over thirty islands in the bay the three largest are Aquidneck Island, Conanicut Island, and Prudence Island. The bay opens on Rhode Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. Block Island lies less than 20 miles from its opening. Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, about 30 miles south of Providence, known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions. The city is the seat of Newport County. Newport is also renown for being the Summer White House during the administration of President John F. Kennedy. Presidents Kennedy and Eisenhower both made Newport the sites of their Summer White Houses during their years in office. Eisenhower stayed at Fort Adams, while Kennedy used Hammersmith Farm. The city of Newport has long been entwined with the U.S. Navy. Until 1971, it hosted the Cruiser-Destroyer Force of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and subsequently it has from time to time hosted smaller numbers of warships. It held the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy during the Civil War, when the undergraduate officer training school was temporarily moved north from Annapolis, Maryland. It remains home to the U.S. Naval War College and the Naval Education and Training Center (NETC), the center of Surface Warfare Officer training, and a large division of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, located at the south end of Aquidneck Island, on the ocean. Quonset Point, south of Warwick, gives its name to the Quonset hut, a lightweight building kit that was manufactured at the Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center in Davisville (a village located within the town of North Kingstown, Rhode Island) near the bay. The first recorded visit by Europeans to the bay was probably in the early 16th century. At the time, the area around the bay was inhabited by two different and distinct groups of natives. The Narragansetts occupied the west side of the bay. The Wampanoag lived on the east side, occupying the land out to Cape Cod. It is accepted by most historians that first contact by Europeans was made by Giovanni da Verrazzano, who entered the bay in his ship La Dauphine in 1524 after visiting New York Bay. Verrazzano called the bay "Refugio". The bay has several entrances, however, and the exact route of his voyage and the location where he laid anchor is still a subject of dispute among historians, leading to a corresponding uncertainty over which tribe made contact with him. He reported that he found clearings and open forests suitable for travel "even by a large army." In 1614, the bay was later explored and mapped by the Dutch navigator Adriaen Block, after whom nearby Block Island is named. The first recorded European settlement was in the 1630s. Roger Williams, a dissatisfied member of the Plymouth Colony, moved into the area around the year 1635. He made contact with the Narragansett and set up a trading post on the west side of the bay. At the same time, the Dutch had established a trading post approximately 12 miles to the southwest which was under the authority of New Amsterdam in New York Bay. In 1643, Williams traveled to England and was granted a charter for the new colony of Rhode Island. Roger Williams and other early colonists named many of the islands in the bay. Captain James Cook's HM Bark Endeavour is believed to have sunk in the bay after being sold in 1775 by the Royal Navy. During the American Revolution, cannon on Castle Hill helped force the British to anchor offshore. The location of British ships was also noted before their arrival by the chain of fires which rapidly passed messages from Philadelphia to Boston. Beacon Hill, a mile or so northwest, was a link in the chain. Castle Hill Light Station The Castle Hill Lighthouse was established at the east passage of Narragansett Bay in 1890. the fifth order Fresent lens was first lit in 1890. The conical shaped tower was painted white on top, and granite on the bottom. The lantern is black. Automated in 1957, the lighthouse is still in operation. Brenton Point Lifesaving Station An act of Congress of May 4, 1882, authorized the establishment of a Lifesaving Station at or near Brenton’s Point or Beaver Tail, Rhode Island. The U.S. Lifesaving Station at Brentons Point was established and built on Prices Neck, 1 1/2 miles southeast of Castle Hill Light and 3 miles southwest of Newport, Rhode Island, in 1884. In 1912, a new boathouse and launch way were constructed. Hurrican of 1938 The station, its rescue boats, and equipment were heavily damaged in the famous 1938 Hurricane. The main station house was heavily damaged such that continued operations and berthing in this building were no longer possible. The station's detached boathouse, marine railway, detached garage, beach apparatus, carts, surfboat and dory were all destroyed. The station’s 36 foot motor lifeboat was ripped from its mooring and swept ashore in the storm surge. Although later refloated, it rquired replacement. The station’s 38 foot cabin picket boat was in Newport Harbor at the time of the storm, where it safely rode out the hurricane and storm surge. After station personnel provided disaster response and assistance, the station resumed operations. The crew was berthed at the Seaman’s Church Institute in downtown Newport, RI. Coast Guard Station Castle Hill Following the destruction of the original Brentons Point Station, in its exposed location along the south shore of Newport, the decision was made to build a new station in a different location. The site selected was adjacent to the Castle Hill Lighthouse reservation, on the east side of East Passage, at the entrance to Narragansett Bay. The station house, with a detached boathouse and marine railway, was located at the head of Castle Cove. The Castle Hill Staion was completed and commissioned by the end of 1941. The rescue craft assigned to the station consisted of a 36 foot motor lifeboat, a 38 foot cabin picket boat, a surfboat, and a dory. The property of the Bentons Point Staion was abandoned by the Coast Guard in 1946. The U.S. Coast Guard Station at Castle Hill is still in operation. Brenton Point Brenton Point is named after William Brenton, an early settler, whose farm occupied most of the land in this area during the seventeenth century. William Brenton William Brenton was born about 1600, and died in 1674. He was an American Colonial Official, active in the settlement of Rhode Island. In 1637, Brenton was one of a group that settled Newport. William Brenton took possession of about 2000 acres of Prices Neck in 1639, and named it Hammersmith" after his home in England. The property was divided into two farms; West, and East or Rocky Farm. The land around his home, located on today's Hammersmith Farm, was cultivated as far south as Castle Hill. The East Farm supported many cows and horses, in addition to 11,000 sheep. Food from the East Farm maintained many mainland residents, who received shelter at Hammersmith at the outbreak of the French adn Indian War, in the spring of 1676. Between 1640 and 1647, William Brenton was Deputy Governor of the towns of Portsmouth and Newport. Previously elected President of the Rhode Island Colony and so named by the Charter in 1661, William Bentonhe held the office as Governor and Deputy Governor from 1660-1668. Brenton died at his residence, Hammersmith Farm, Newport in 1674. World War II - U.S. Army In 1941, the U.S. Army took over the Brenton estate, and used it as a sight for a coastal artillery battery, until 1946. The gun mount is still visible next to the mound on the lawn. The estate house, now known as "The Reef" was returned to the owners, the Budlong family, in 1946, but remained unoccupied and left to the elements. In July, 1960, a fire destroyed the heavily vandalized main house, which was finally torn down in 1963. Brenton Point State Park In 1969, the State of Rhode Island took over the property. In 1976, the Governor of Rhode Island, in conjunction with the Director of Natural Resources, the City of Newport, and the Brenton Point State Park Commission opened Brenton Point State Park to the public. World War II - U.S. Navy With the advent of World War II, Narragansett Bay and Newport became a strong center of Naval activity. Quonset Point was selected by a Naval board as the site of an Air Station in 1938, and $20 million was requested to build the project. Naval Air Station, Quonset Point was commissioned in July, 1941. The Naval Construction Battalion Center at Davisville was also begun in 1941. The Bureau of Yards and Docks established a project to "design, manufacture, and ship portable hut units suitable for barracks and other buildings for use in the construction of outlying bases." The project was called Temporary Advance Facilities, and was originally part of the Quonset Naval Air Station. In this way, the ubiquitous Quonset huts of this era received their name. Newport also underwent a tremendous surge of activity during these years. The U.S. Naval Operating Base was established in 1941 with headquarters on Coaster's Harbor Island to coordinate the growing Naval facilities in the area. Coddington Point was reactivated, Coddington Cove became a Supply Station, and shoreline property extending north to Melville was acquired. A Patrol Torpedo (PT) Boat Training Center, a Naval Net Depot, and additional fuel facilities were set up at Melville. Elsewhere on Aquidneck Island, properties such as the Anchorage Housing site, Fleet Landing, and Sachuest Point were obtained by the Navy. An anti-aircraft Gunnery Training Center was also operated at Prices Neck on Newport's Ocean Drive. To the west on Jamestown, (Conanicut Island), a Harbor Defense Unit, Communications Facility, and Fleet Landing were established. Almost overnight, Newport and Narragansett Bay had become one of the Navy's largest and most important bases of operation. By the war's end, more than 100 ships of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet were based in Newport. With Germany's surrender in May 1945, and the subsequent concentration of armed forces in the Pacific Theater, Naval activity in Rhode Island began to diminish. Japan's surrender on August 14, 1945, brought the Second World War to an end. The U.S. Naval Operating Base of World War II was disestablished in 1946, and the Newport Navy Base was established in its place. Navy Direction Finding Station, Prices Neck, RI 1941 1946 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Prices Neck, RI =================================================================================== Reseda, California Reseda is a district in the San Fernando Valley of the City of Los Angeles, California. The area now known as Reseda was originally inhabited by Native Americans of the Tongva tribe, that lived close to the Los Angeles River. The vegetation was plentiful, and the natives had to work only two hours per day to support themselves. Reseda originated as a farm town named"Marian (or Rancho Marian) that appeared in 1912. Its namesake, Marian Otis Chandler, was the daughter of Los Angeles Times publisher Harrison Gray Otis, a director of the Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company. Reseda was named after a fragrant North African yellow dye plant, Reseda odorata, which grows in hot, dry climates, The name Reseda was given first to a siding on a branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad in the south San Fernando Valley. About 1920, Reseda replaced Marian as a designation for a stop on the Pacific Electric interurban railway running along Sherman Way. The population of Reseda was 1,805 in 1930, and 4,147 in 1940. By 1950, it had topped 16,000, but the Ventura Freeway lay 10 years in the future, and most Reseda residents still bought fresh eggs, milk, honey and vegetables at stands along Ventura Boulevard. Reseda was one of the first suburbs in the San Fernando Valley. Its large ranches were sub-divided and the area was developed by realtors, just as the veterans of World War II were returning home. The earliest families came to live among orange groves, which were successively plowed under in favor of housing. At the time, most of the jobs were in the Los Angeles Basin, to the south, over the Santa Monica mountains. By 1950, the Valley's population reached 400,000. The average new Valley home, in 1949, cost $9,000. By 1955, that same house could be resold for nearly $15,000. But even at that price, a household income only had to be $6,000 a year, not at all difficult, considering Valley incomes continued to hover above the national average. By 1960, the average market value of a Valley home reached $18,850. During the 1970s, however, these costs and income patterns over the rest of the country began to reverse. Land and housing costs shot upward, while most incomes only crept. By the beginning of the 1980s, the average price of a home in the Valley reached $110,000. According to a 2004 study by the U.S. Bureau of the Census it has reached triple that of the beginning of the 1980s. Naval Monitoring Station, Reseda, CA Feb 1944 Sep 1944 =================================================================================== Richmond, Florida In 1942, as World War II heated up and the U.S. became move involved, the U.S. government ordered a massive buildup in military facilities. One of these facilities was Naval Air Station, Richmond. Located on about 2,500 acres of land in the (then) near wilderness, 20 miles south of the city of Miami, FL, and 19 miles southwest of Miami’s central business district, in Miami-Dade County. The Navy started construction of a major airship or LTA (Lighter Than Air) Air Station, to patrol Florida waters for U-boats, which threatened Allied merchant marine shipping. To provide anti-submarine patrol, rescue, escort and utility services in this area, Blimp Patrol Squadron ZP-21 arrived in October, 1942. Naval Air Station, Richmond, takes its name from the "Richmond Lumber Company" which had built a saw mill on the property around the turn of the century, to harvest and process the large stands of "Dade county pine". The base grew quickly, using native timber and millions of board-feet of lumber shipped in from the Pacific-Northwest. Over $13,000,000 was expended in the creation of the fully independent base which boasted three 16.5 story hangars over 1,000 feet in length. Each hangar was 1088 feet long and covered an area of about 7 acres. The doors at each end of the hangar were composed of 6 panels, rolling on steel railroad tracks imbedded in the concrete apron. Each door panel was 120 feet high and 3.5 feet thick, and are considered the largest single door panels ever designed and built. Each hangar cost approximately $2,500,000.00 in 1942 dollars. NAS Richmond was commissioned on September 15, 1942. NAS Richmond was the home of the 25 airships (blimps) of Patrol Airship Squadron 21 (ZP-21) and Airship Wing 2. As Fleet Airship Wing Two, NAS Richmond-based ZP-21 combined with ZP-22 patrolling Texas and Louisiana, and ZP-23 covering Jamaica and Panama. ZP-21 Detachments flew from Key West and Banana River (Daytona Beach) on the Florida coast, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and four NAF's in Cuba. ZP-51, ZP-41 and ZP-42, stationed from Trinidad to Rio all looked to NAS Richmond for support. Its 16 story-high hangers looked down on acres of tarmac launch pads. Nestled in the pine forest left standing for camouflage were barracks, warehouses, a BOQ, a fire station, a hospital, and even a bowling alley for the thousands of airdales assigned to NAS or passing through. PBY's, fighters, and other fixed wing aircraft routinely landed at NAS Richmond's airstrip. During WWII, Airship Wing Two alone logged 114,649 hours flying in 7,750 missions, suffering six blimps lost during operations and one blimp lost in combat. The only recorded contact between a blimp and a submarine occurred on July 18, 1943, when Navy airship K-74 encountered Nazi U-134 in the Florida Straits. K-74 made a depth charge run on the sub, but was shot down by anti-aircraft fire from the U-boat, and crashed into the sea. The blimp sank with the loss of one life, the pilot. At its wartime peak, Richmond was home to 25 K-series blimps, a 2,000 foot diameter landing mat, eight circular concrete mooring pads, two runways, three huge blimp hangars, a helium plant, and 3,000 men. The station eventually became the largest blimp base on the east coast. As a result of blimp coastal unrelenting patrols, the number of successful enemy torpedo attacks in the South Florida area was reduced from 1942's total of 114 to only 4 sinkings in 1943. A major hurricane on September 14 and 15, 1945, resulted in the destruction of the three "hurricane proof" blimp hangars and the resultant loss of twenty-five blimps, 365 fixed wing aircraft parked in the hangars, and 150 cars. NAS Richmond was devastated by a direct hit from a hurricane, with 123 mph winds striking the massive blimp hangars. The only buildings that survived the hurricane was the headquarters building 2, and a few warehouses. With daybreak the hurricane was gone, and so was NAS Richmond. The smoldering hangers and their contents were a total loss. It was the largest fire of 1945, assessed at $30 million (in 1945 dollars). The damage constituted the biggest peacetime loss of federal property, in the shortest time, on record. ZP-21 was decommissioned soon after. NAS Richmond ceased operations in November, 1945 with portions of the facility becoming a University of Miami South Campus and the Miami Metrozoo. Other areas of the base were utilized by the Army, Navy and Coast Guard as communications facilities. Some time after 1945, and before 1955, U.S. Naval Security Group Activity, Richmond, FL was commissioned. NSGA Richmond was located at the Coast Guard Radio Station (RADSTA), on the Richmond site. NSGA Richmond was decommissioned and closed in July, 1957. Mission functions were transferred to NSGA Homestead FL. NSGA Richmond's location (in Miami, FL) makes it's mission obvious, to monitor Cuba's electronic emanations. In 1962, the Richmond Air Force Station (Z-210), a radar facility, was constructed to the northwest of the former blimp airfield. It consisted of three radar towers. The Richmond Air Force Station radar facility was operated by the FAA, until destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. During the period 1962-1968, the CIA leased a few buildings from the University of Miami under the "front" name of Zenith Technological Services. This "front" company was in fact the intelligence gathering headquarters for the war on Cuba, known as JM/WAVE, aka JM WAVE aka WAVE Station. Over 400 CIA operatives operated out of this facility. The CIA facility later moved from its Richmond site to North Dade County. In the early 1970's, Building 25 (the old NAS Richmond Headquarters building) was occupied by the Marine Reserve. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew roared through the old wooden buildings causing major damage to the termite infested structures. In 1994, GSA began clearing the majority of the old wooden buildings leaving Building 25, in a state of deterioration. In 1994, the Perrine Primate Institute built a concrete structure as a permanent residence for Miami Metrozoo animals. Also in 1994, the Richmond base was considered as a new site for U.S. Southern Command, which was forced to move from Quarry Heights, Panama Canal Zone. In late 1995, the decision was made to create an exhibit detailing the history and important role the base played during World War II. On 16 September, 1995, over 200 people assembled on the apron of what was Hangar 1, Naval Air Station, Richmond, to honor and commemorate the 50th anniversary of World War II. The groundbreaking was held at the NAS boiler room. The Grand Opening of the Naval Air Station Richmond Exhibit occurred on September 14, 1996. In 1997, private security guards were placed at the two inner entrances, where Building 25 remains, along with some security sensitive buildings. A 60 foot radio telescope is located at the former NAS Richmond FL site. It is operated (remotely) by the U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington DC staff, as part of the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) Earth Rotation network. VLBI observations are used to determine the celestial and terrestrial reference frames, and to predict the variable orientation of the Earth in three-dimensional space. Navy Direction Finding Site, Richmond, FL > 15 Sep 1942 Nov 1945 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Richmond FL at NAS Richmond, FL NSGA Richmond, FL > 1945 and < 1955 Jul 1957 At USCG RADSTA Miami, FL. Transferred to NSGA Homestead FL. =================================================================================== Sabine Pass, Louisianna The Sabine Pass Lighthouse is located Near where the Sabine River empties into the Gulf of Mexico, on the Louisiana side of Sabine Pass, on the northeast Texas border; surrounded by marsh recesses that mark the terrain of extreme southwest Cameron Parish, on Highway 82 between Johnson Bayou, Louisiana, and Port Arthur, Texas. In 1838, the Port Sabine Military Reservation was established by the U.S. Government comprising 20,575 acres, which contains the 45 acres the Lighthouse currently resides on. In 1848, a Resolution made by the Louisiana Legislature called for a Congressional appropriation for a lighthouse at the Sabine River. In 1849, Congress passed an appropriation for the lighthouse, allocating $7,500.00. A U.S. Navy survey report of July 12, 1852 recommended that a lighthouse be built on the Sabine River. The Lighthouse Board requested $30,000 for a first class lighthouse at the mouth of the river, which Congress authorized on March 3, 1853. Another U.S. Navy survey report advised that "No spot can be found on either side of the pass nearer to the coast, suitable for construction of a lighthouse". A site in Texas, near the town of Sabine, 2.5 miles from the coast, was selected for the site. Later in 1853, negotiations for land in Texas became difficult and finally ended without resolution. The Galveston lighthouse inspector, was dispatched to designate a site. He obtained rights to property at the current location of Brant Point in Louisiana, at a point where the Sabine and Neches Rivers join, as they flow into the Gulf of Mexico. A third order Fresnel lens and lantern was purchased and made ready for shipment from Philadelphia. The Lighthouse Board's letter to the 9th District Inspector requested plans for a lighthouse that could be built with the remaining budget of $22,258.13. Construction began on August 26, 1856. Constructed of brick from New Jersey, the lighthouse was built on a mud bank only three feet above high tide. It features an octagonal shaped tower. Its eight buttresses were built at the base to help keep it steady in the soft marshy ground. The buttresses look like fins, giving the tower the look of a rocket about to blast off. The buttresses succeeded in their purpose; the tower still appears as straight as ever. The 85 foot Light Station was established in 1856. Fitted with the third order Fresnel lens first lit in 1857, the light was first fired with whale oil. This site was chosen because the elevation is higher on the Louisiana side of the Sabine River and the property was already part of the Port Sabine Military Reservation. The original day mark was all white. The lighthouse is considered to be a sister light- house to the Aransas Pass, Timbalier and Barataria towers. Photo at the following link: . One keeper salaried for $600 a month and one assistant keeper for $300 a month were assigned. The lighthouse had been sending out its beam of light for less than ten years, when the war erupted. Although all the facts are not clear, it appears that the lens was hit by a cannonball on August 17, 1861, which broke part of the lens. The keeper glued the broken piece back on by putting glue on both sides of a piece of the Bible and putting the piece of the Bible between the two pieces of the lens. In January, 1862, the lamps, lens and clockworks were removed from the lighthouse, dismantled and crated for storage, by the Keeper. The lighthouse's light apparatus was hidden by the keeper in the town of Sabine Pass until the war was over. It has not been determined if the reason for the removal was in an effort to thwart use by the Union Navy, or simply the Lighthouse Keeper's means of keeping the works safe from damage. The light played a vital role in the Battle of Sabine Pass in the Civil War in 1862, and was instrumental in stopping Texas from being invaded. Late in 1862, a small squad of Union troops successfully entered Sabine Lake and destroyed Fort Sabine. However, a month later, they were routed by the Confederates. The Union troops fled, but not before they lost two ships and 100 men. Again, plans were drawn up by the Union, but this time for a major invasion. The 1863 plan called for the landing of 15,000 troops in three waves, to secure the region. The invasion force would then connect with another body of Union troops moving southwest from Arkansas, that would then turn westward in what they figured would be a sweeping onslaught of Texas. In January, 1863, during the Battle of Sabine Pass, two Union ships were lost and 350 soldiers were captured by a band of 43 dock hands, turned soldiers. Union troops retreated to New Orleans. In April, 1863, Union forces attacked the lighthouse twice. During this time there were several scirmishes between Union and Confederate soldiers over the use of the Lighthouse as an observation tower. In 1865, attempts by the Lighthouse Board to locate the lantern and clockworks, produced only portions of the lens (missing the brass frames) and pedestal. Final repairs were completed and the lamp was re-exhibited on December 23, 1865. In 1871, the pay was increase for the Keeper and Assistant to $700 a month and $400 a month, respectively. In June, 1886, A hurricane storm surge, which killed 150 residents of Sabine Pass, created an 8 foot tide surge, which surrounded the tower with 5 feet of water. All the buildings on the site, except the lighthouse itself, with its 18 inch thick walls and its 8 buttresses, were washed away. A new elevated lighthouse keeper’s house was built in 1887. The new keeper's dwelling was 40 foot by 48 foot, and housed both the Keeper and his Assistant, and their families. In 1901, the discovery of oil at Spindletop caused a meteoric rise in vessel traffic. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredged and completed jetties, and by 1910, jetties extended almost 5 miles to sea. On August 16-17, 1915, a powerful hurricane swept away all outbuildings, warf and walkways, leaving only the tower and the two keepers had to turn the revolving lens by hand, as the vibrations put the clockworks out of order. The station was rebuilt. In 1929, the Lighthouse Station was electrified. A radio beacon and electric lamp were added. In 1932, black bands were added to the all white tower to increase visability, at the recommendations of a Texas shipping company. On the morning of May 21, 1952, the lighthouse keeper turned off the light for the last time. The lighthouse was discontinued. In 1954, ownership of the lighthouse, support buildings and acreage was transferred to the Louisiana State Wildlife and Fisheries Commission. Ownership reverted back to the U.S Government when state funds were unavailable to keep up the structures. In 1957, Hurricane Audrey dislodged the lighthouse, but the structure remained sound. In 1971, ownership of the lighthouse, support buildings and acreage was transferred to Lamar University, but reverted back to the Federal Government, because the University failed to utilize the property. Funding was again the root of the problems. The lighthouse was doomed to be torn down, when the last keeper Steve Purley started a successful movement to save it. It was not destroyed, nor was it saved, but passed on to several holders in Louisiana and Texas, with never money enough to save this property. In 1974, the copper top was stolen, and in 1976, a marsh fire destroyed all the support buildings and walkways, including the keeper’s dwelling, with the exception of the brick generator building and the lighthouse tower. The lighthouse was officially entered into the National Register of Historic Places on December 17, 1982. In 1986, the General Service Administration declared the property to be surplus and auctioned the lighthouse and its 46 acre tract of land. Houston businessmen P. G. Grenader and W. C. Pielop, Jr. purchased it for $55,000.00. Their plans was to restore the lighthouse and build a restraunt and Yacht Club. Both are now deceased, and their heirs owned the property. The lighthouse was mainly accessible by boat, until July, 1999, when local landowners constructed a one lane dirt road leading to the lighthouse, accessible today only during certain road conditions. In 2001, ownership of the lighthouse, support building and acreage was transferred to the Cameron Preservation Alliance. The Cameron Preservation Alliance intends to restore, preserve and maintain the history of Cameron Parish. Preserving the Sabine Pass lighthouse is the first project of the new group. The preservation group has taken steps to start the renovation. Phase one is to stabilize the lighthouse and provide a blacktopped road to make it more accessible. Phase two will be to rebuild the keeper’s quarters, which will provide a maritime museum and gift shop. Sabine Pass Lifesaving Station, Texas the Sabine Pass Lifesaving Station, was located on the west side of Sabine Pass, 1 1/4 miles southeast of Sabine, Texas; 5/8 mile south of the Sabine Pass Light- house, and 16 miles from Port Arthur, Texas. The land was conveyed by the State of Texas to the U.S. Government in 1879, and the station was built in 1879. The beginnings of a shore establishment at Sabine came on March 3, 1853, when Congress appropriated of $30,000 for a first class lighthouse at the mouth of the Sabine River. The light was built and first exhibited in 1857, at its present site on the Louisiana side of the channel. The structure known as the Old Lifeboat Station was built across from the lighthouse on the Texas side of Sabine Pass, and was in operation by 1879. The station was destroyed by a fire in 1904, but a new station was built in its place. The station was abandoned by the Coast Guard in 1954, turned over to the General Services Administration, and declared surplus in 1955. A new Coast Guard Lifesaving Station was established at the former 1930s Quarantine Station, about 0.75 miles from the Old Sabine Lifeboat Station. The Coast Guard Station at Sabine Pass remains operational. An August 7, 1939 photo of the Old Sabine Lifeboat station is at the following link: . In September 2005, Hurricane Rita devastated the station, which was nearly destroyed, and required $4 million in repairs and renovations. The rebuilding of the Station at Sabine Pass began on September 24, 2005, when personnel came back to the station after the hurricane. The station, although severely disabled, was back in operation within 24 hours. The rebuilt station was reopened on September 25, 2007, one day after the second anniversary of the Hurricane Rita strike along the Texas and Louisana south coast. During the reopening ceremony, USCG Admiral Joel Whitehead remarked "Guardsmen were wise in their decision to leave the alligator in the station’s pool alone, after returning from evacuation." Navy Direction Finding Station, Sabine Pass, LA at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Sabine Pass, LA =================================================================================== Salinas River, California Salinas is the county seat and largest municipality of Monterey County. The most current estimate from the California Department of Finance, places the 2006 population at 148,350, showing a slight decrease since 2000 which is largely attributed to the city's high cost of living. The largely suburban city is located at the mouth of the Salinas Valley roughly eight miles from the Pacific Ocean and enjoys a mild climate. Salinas began around 1840 as the Halfway House, a stagecoach stop between Monterey and San Juan Bautista. In 1864, a post office was established, Salinas City was laid out, and the city was incorporated in 1874. The city was named after the Salinas River. Salinas' economy is largely based upon agriculture. Located in one of California's richest farming regions, the area produces a variety of fruits and vegetables, including lettuce, strawberries, watermelons, broccoli, carrots, cabbages, and spinach. Major conversion of cropland to urban uses took place over the time period 1956 to 1968. Salinas Garrison (Salinas Assembly Center) The Salinas Garrison (Salinas Assembly Center) was built at a fairgrounds, previously the California Rodeo Grounds, one mile north of downtown Salinas. It operated as an assembly and processing center for the local ethnic Japanese from April 27, 1942 to July 4, 1942. At its peak, it housed 3,594 people, evacuees from the Monterey Bay area. The facility comprised of over 165 buildings, including several barracks to the north and east of the fairgrounds proper, six buildings within the racetrack infield, and perimeter guard towers. Most of the people processed here went to the Colorado River Relocation Camp at Poston, AZ. On July 24, 1942 it was turned over to the VII Corps, which used it for the duration of the war. Upon evacuation of Japanese Americans from the Pacific Coast, the site became a Fort Ord satellite installation for temporary housing of troops. The last service using the installation was the Ninth Service Command. The improvements identified as owned by the U.S. were an unspecified number of temporary buildings and other types of structures. The Disposal Plan recommended the government owned buildings be sold and the infirmary, well pump equipment, water storage tank and water tank tower be relocated to Fort Ord. If not, "the water system and fire equipment" were to be considered as partial consideration in lieu of restoration. This action was to be negotiated with the City of Salinas. In 1946, the leasehold for the total 278.174 acres was terminated, After the war, it again became the California Rodeo Grounds. The fairgrounds now encompasses the California Rodeo Grounds, a small neighborhood park (Sherwood Park), and the Salinas Community Center. The grandstand and auxiliary buildings present in 1942 remain, but the main area of assembly center barracks is now a golf course. In the rear courtyard of the Salinas Community Center there is a State of California historical marker commemorating the assembly center and a small fenced Japanese garden. Another historical marker indicates that the assembly center was later used to train a Filipino army unit during World War II. The Salinas rodeo (pronounced the Spanish way "roDAYo") began in 1911 as a Wild West Show on the site of the old race track ground, now the Salinas Sports Complex. Salinas Army Air Base The Salinas Army Air Base was located three miles southeast of Salinas, and was a subpost to Fort Ord during WWII. It was a processing center and a training field for U.S. Army pilots in reconnaissance and observation duties, in small planes. The Air Transport Command also used the field and had an air freight terminal there. The host unit at Salinas AAB was the 451st Army Air Force Base Unit. Army Air Groups stationed at Salinas AAB during World War II (December 21, 1941 - January 11, 1944) included the 69th Observation Group, the 70th Observation Group, the 70th Reconnaissance Group, the 71st Observation Group, the 77th Observation Group, the 312th Bombardment Group (Dive), and the 360th Fighter Group (P38 Lightning). Navy Direction Finding Site, Salinas River, CA (Proposed) Oct 1941 Nov 1941 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Salinas River, CA =================================================================================== Sandy Hook, Fort Hancock, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier peninsula, between 6 and 7 miles in length, and 1/2 mile (varying between 0.10 and 1 mile) wide, in Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay south of New York City. The Dutch called the area "Sant Hoek", with the modern "Hook" deriving from the Dutch "Hoek," meaning "spit of land". It is a large sand spit or barrier spit, the extension of a barrier peninsula along the coast of New Jersey separated from the mainland by the estuary of the Shrewsbury River. On its western side, the peninsula encloses Sandy Hook Bay, a triangular arm of Lower New York Bay. Throughout history, it has formed a convenient anchorage for ships before proceeding into Upper New York Harbor. The now defunct Fort Hancock is located at the north end of the peninsula. It is now open to the public. The Sandy Hook Artillery Proving Ground was built in the 1870's, and was maintained by the U.S. Army until 1919, when the Proving Ground facility was moved to Aberdeen, MD. Fort Hancock was built in 1892 on the Sandy Hook peninsula, and named in honor of Civil War General Winfield Scott Hancock. Fort Hancock was the site of a Nike missile defense installation. In the 1950s, the U.S. military installed Nike surface-to-air missiles to protect the U.S. from possible Soviet air attacks. In 1974, the U.S. Army decommissioned and closed the base. The Sandy Hook Nike station is one of a very few Nike stations that are still intact. Fort Hancock was declared surplus in 1974, and became part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, owned by the National Park Service. Almost all of the fort's gun batteries are off limits to the public, due to their hazardous condition. The exception to this is Battery Gunnison, which is being restored by volunteers and also has two M-1900 six-inch cannon installed. The weapons were placed there in 1976. Guided tours give visitors a look at an actual Nike missile, the missile firing platforms, and a radar station, complete with 60's-era computers. Sandy Hook Lighthouse is located within the fort grounds, as is the Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST), a magnet high school, part of the Monmouth County Vocational School District. At the entrance to Fort Hancock is Guardian Park, a plaza dominated by two Nike missiles. Some of the buildings of Fort Hancock are off-limits because their structural integrity is dubious. Located beyond the Fort Hancock outpost is the U.S. Coast Guard Lifesaving Station. Sandy Hook is one of most famous U.S. Lifesaving Stations and one of the earliest, built in 1848. The first keeper was appointed in 1856. The station was originally located at a site "on bay side, one-half mile south of point of Hook". The site has changed several times throughout the years, due to a change in land or at the request of the War Department, which owned the land. The station was rebuilt in 1891. In 1915, funding was provided to move the buildings to a new site. Since 1915, the station has been located near the north end of Sandy Hook, abreast of Sandy Hook Bay, and 3/4 mile northwest of Sandy Hook Lighthouse. On January 28, 1915, the U.S. Lifesaving Service and its functions were consolidated with the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service to form the U.S. Coast Guard. Title to the land was unclear until it was formalized in May, 1936. The Work Relief and Public Works Appropria- tion Act of 1938 provided funds for new station boats and equipment, as well as for a boathouse, launchway, and bulkheading. The land was formally transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard on October 25, 1950. The U.S. Coast Guard station at Sandy Hook in an active station, and is still in operation. This area is administered by the Department of Homeland Security and is off-limits to the general public. Originally called the "New York Lighthouse," The Sandy Hook Lighthouse tower is the oldest original tower still standing, and in use, in the United States. Sandy Hook was the 5th lighthouse to be built in the colonies. In 1761, 43 New York merchants petitioned the Colonial Assembly of New York to erect a lighthouse at Sandy Hook, to aid sailors in navigating the narrow curved channel at the tip of Sandy Hook, and to provide a safer passageway into New York Harbor. On May 10, 1762, four acres of land at Sandy Hook was purchased from Robert Hartshorne, with money collected by the New York merchants, and raised in a lottery authorized by the Colonial Assembly of New York. On June 14, 1763, a second lottery was held in order to raise funds to build the lighthouse. The "New York Lighthouse" was built by Mr. Isaac Conro of New York City. The lighthouse was maintained by tonnage dues of 22 pence per ton, paid to the port of New York "By order of an Act of the Colony" (of New York). The light in the tower was first lit on June 11, 1764. The lighthouse was described in 1764 as follows: "This House is of an Octagon Figure, having eight equal sides; the Diameter of the Base 29 feet; and at the Top of the Wall 15 Feet. The Lanthorn is 7 feet high; the Circumference 15 Feet. The whole Construction of the Lanthorn is Iron; the top covered with Copper. There are 48 Oil Blazes. The Building from the Surfaces is Nine Stories; the whole from Bottom to Top 103 Feet". In March, 1776, the lighthouse tower was attacked by the British Navy. Retreating American colonists took the operating mechanism of the light apart, and removed the lighting apparatus and oil lamps, in order to keep the enemy from using the light to aid British troops. In the Spring of 1776, the British were able to relight the tower using makeshift lamps and reflectors. On June 1, 1776, the Americans fired upon the light with cannons in an effort to take out the light, now under British control. After damaging the tower, they were chased off by an armed British ship. When the war was over in 1783, the British returned the light tower to the U.S., and the Americans reassembled it. The location of the lighthouse on New Jersey land eventually caused dissension between the states of New York and New Jersey. It was one of the 12 lighthouses built by the colonies which, by the act of August 7, 1789, were ceded to the new U.S. Federal Government, which agreed to maintain them thereafter. A four acre plot of land, at the point of Sandy Hook, in Monmouth County, was ceded to the U.S. by the State of New Jersey on November 16, 1790, and on March 1, 1804, the State of New Jersey "consented to the purchase of a lot on the north point of Sandy Hook, for the purpose of erecting a beacon." Appropriations for a beacon "to be erected on the north point of Sandy Hook" were made in 1804 ($2,000), 1805 ($6,000), 1807 ($1,200) and 1817 ($1,200). In 1817, two additional beacons, the Sandy Hook East and the Sandy Hook West, were constructed at Sandy Hook. In 1852, the Lighthouse Board reported "The tower of Sandy Hook main light was constructed in 1764, under royal charter, of rubblestone, and is now in a good state of preservation. Neither leaks nor cracks were observed in it. The mortar appeared to be good, and it was stated that the annual repairs upon this tower amount to a smaller sum than in the towers of any of the minor lights in the New York district. The illuminating apparatus is composed of 18 21-inch reflectors, and Argand lamps which were fitted new, according to the best information on the subject, in 1842. In 1856, a third order Fresnel lens manufactured by the P. Sautter & Co. of Paris, France was installed in the lantern. The lighthouse is a 60,000- candlepower, fixed white, in a white stone tower, 85 feet above ground and 88 feet above water, visible for 15 miles." In 1857, three assistants were assigned to aid the head keeper who was in charge of all 3 lights at Sandy Hook. By 1863, extensive repairs including a new edifice, a brick lining inside the tower and new iron steps to replace the old wooden stairs were completed. In 1883, a new keepers quarters was built. The double frame dwelling, which housed the head keeper, his family, and the assistants, still stands today. in 1889, Sandy Hook Lighthouse became the first lighthouse in the U.S. to be lit by incandescent lamps. On June 11, 1964, the lighthouse was dedicated as a National Historic Landmark on its 200th anniversary. In 1996, ownership of the lighthouse was transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard to the National Park Service. In 2002, the lighthouse was made part of the Gateway National Recreational Area. Today, the lighthouse is equipped with a 1000-watt bulb, the light is visible up to 19 miles on a clear day. The New Jersey Lighthouse Society, in conjunction with the National Park Service, conducts tours of the tower. Navy Direction Finding Station, Sandy Hook, Fort Hancock, NJ at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Sandy Hook, Fort Hancock, NJ =================================================================================== San Juan, PR San Juan (from the Spanish San Juan Bautista, "Saint John the Baptist") is the capital and largest municipality on Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico ("City of Puerto Rico"). In addition to being the oldest city in Puerto Rico, it is the oldest European-founded U.S. city, older even than St. Augustine, Florida. Puerto Rico's capital is the second oldest European-established city in the Americas, after Santo Domingo, now in the Dominican Republic. Several historical buildings are located in San Juan; among the most notable are the city's former defensive forts, Fort San Felipe del Morro and Fort San Cristobál, and La Fortaleza, the oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the Americas. San Juan is situated along the north eastern coast of Puerto Rico. It lies south of the Atlantic Ocean; north of Guaynabo and Trujillo Alto; east of and Bayamón; and west of Carolina. The city occupies an area of 76.93 square miles. The majority San Juan's water territory is composed of San Juan Bay, and of two natural lagoons, the Condado and the San José. Old San Juan occupies the western end of a rocky islet at the mouth of San Juan Bay. During the 20th century, the main population centers surged well beyond the walls of the old city and onto Puerto Rico's main island, and merged with the existing settlements east and south of Old San Juan. As a result, the city is now composed of a variety of neighborhoods. Carolina is a city located in the northern part of Puerto Rico, bordering the Atlantic Ocean; north of Gurabo and Juncos; east of Trujillo Alto and San Juan; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread over 12 wards and Carolina Pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city). Carolina is a short distance from San Juan. Along with San Juan, Bayamón, Guaynabo, Cataño, Toa Baja and Trujillo Alto it is considered to be a part of the island's metropolitan area. The town was founded in 1816 as Trujillo Bajo ("lower Trujillo"), along with its counterpart Trujillo Alto, after Trujillo, Spain. In 1857 it was renamed to San Fernando de la Carolina, shortened to Carolina, after Charles II of Spain. Today, San Juan serves as one of Puerto Rico's most important seaports, and is the island's manufacturing, financial, cultural, and tourism center. The population of the metropolitan area, including San Juan and the municipalities of Bayamón, Guaynabo, Cataño, Canóvanas, Caguas, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Carolina and Trujillo Alto, is about 2 million inhabitants; thus, about half the population of Puerto Rico now lives and works in this area. In 1508, Juan Ponce de León founded the original settlement Caparra (named after the province Caceres, Spain, the birthplace of then-governor of Spain's Caribbean territories Nicolas de Ovando), which today is known as the Pueblo Viejo sector of Guaynabo, just to the west of the present San Juan metropolitan area. A year later, the settlement was moved to a site then called Puerto Rico, Spanish for "rich port" or "good port," after its similar geographical features to the island of Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands. In 1521, the newer settlement was given its formal name, San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico, in honor of John the Baptist, following the tradition of christening the town with both its formal name and the name which Christopher Columbus had originally given the island. The ambiguous use of San Juan Bautista and Puerto Rico for calling both the city and the island led to a reversal in practical use by most inhabitants: by 1746, the name for the city (Puerto Rico) had become that of the entire island, while the name for the Island (San Juan Bautista) had become the name for the city. San Juan, as a settlement of the Spanish Empire, was used by merchant and military ships traveling from Spain as the first stopover in the Americas. Because of its prominence in the Caribbean, a network of fortifications was built to protect the transports of gold and silver from the New World to Europe. Because of the rich transports, San Juan became a target of the foreign powers of the time. The city was witness to attacks from the English led by Sir Francis Drake in 1595, and by George Clifford, Earl of Cumberland, in 1598. Artillery from San Juan's fort, El Morro, repelled Drake; however, Clifford managed to land troops and lay siege to the city. After a few months of British occupation, Clifford was forced to abandon the siege when his troops began to suffer from exhaustion and sickness. In 1625, the city was sacked by Dutch forces lead by Boudewijn Hendricksz, but El Morro withstood the assault and was not taken. The English attacked again in 1797, during the French Revolutionary Wars, led by Sir Ralph Abercromby (who had just conquered Trinidad). His army laid siege to the city but was forced to withdraw in defeat as the Puerto Rican defenses proved more resilient than those of Trinidad. Various events and circumstances, including liberalized commerce with Spain, the opening of the island to immigrants as a direct result of the Royal Decree of Graces of 1815, and the colonial revolutions, led to an expansion of San Juan and other Puerto Rican settlements in the late 18th and early 19th century. In May 1898, U.S. Navy ships, among them the USS Detroit, USS Indiana, USS New York, USS Amphitrite, USS Terror and USS Montgomery, commanded by Rear Admiral William T. Sampson, bombed San Juan during the Spanish-American War, though the city was not occupied. On July 25, General Nelson A. Miles landed at Guánica (in southwestern Puerto Rico) with 3,300 soldiers and took over the island with little resistance. Spain ceded the island to the U.S. later the same year by signing the Treaty of Paris. Camp Las Casas, located in the district of Santurce, served as the main training camp for the Puerto Rican soldiers prior to World War I and World War II; the majority of the men trained in this facility were assigned to the 65th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army. This regiment has been active since 1898, and it is still active today. Camp Las Casas was eventually closed down, and in 1950, a public housing project by the name of Residencial Fray Bartolome de Las Casas was constructed on its former location. In 1898, the U.S. Armed Forces defeated the Spanish Armada and invaded Puerto Rico. The island became an asset to the military, because of its location as the gateway between the Americas and its post as a sentinel of the Mona Passage and the vessels that used it to explore future trade routes that are still in existence. Since the 1900s, at least six major military installations have been established in Puerto Rico. Two were in the offshore municipalities of U.S. Naval Stations Culebra and Vieques; and the others at Ceiba’s U.S. Naval Station Roosevelt Roads; Toa Baja’s U.S. Naval Security Group Activity Sabana Seca; Salinas’ U.S. Naval Radio Station Fort Allen; and U.S. Army Reserve Fort Buchanan. All the Naval installations have been closed except Fort Allen, now an educational and support facility for the U.S. Army Reserve and the Puerto Rico National Guard, and Fort Buchanan, the only active military outpost on the island. The Tenth Naval District, headquartered at San Juan PR was established on January 1, 1940. On May 1, 1940, Naval Air Station, San Juan, Puerto Rico, was established, and designated as an activity of the Tenth Naval District. Naval Station Roosevelt Roads was located in the eastern part of Puerto Rico in the town of Ceiba. It was approximately 35 miles east of the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport. The Naval Station was located about 50 miles from San Juan. The towns of Fajardo, Luquillo, and Naguabo are within 10 to 25 miles from the former Roosevelt Roads base. The Naval Station was named for then Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt, who conceived the idea in 1919 on a surveying trip. It would eventually become one of the largest Naval facilities in the world, encompassing more than 100 miles of paved roads and more than 30 tenant commands. Its 1,300 buildings were home to 7,000 personnel. The Naval Station was first commissioned as a U.S. Naval Operations Base in 1943. The newly constructed Naval Operating Base was to become the keystone of the Caribbean Defense System with a well-protected anchorage, a Naval Air Station and an industrial establishment capable of supporting 60 percent of the Atlantic Fleet under wartime conditions. But by 1943, it was clear that with Allied Operations focusing on Europe and the Pacific, a major defense hub on the island would be unnecessary. Construction on the base was halted, and in March of 1944, Naval Operating Base Roosevelt Roads was put in a maintenance status with a Public Works Officer, a small detachment of Seabees and a large civilian workforce. Over the next 14 years, the base closed seven times and was reopened eight. On August 1, 1943, Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, PR., was established. Also in 1943, a U.S. Naval Radio Station (NAVRADSTA) was established near the present site of Isla Verde Airport at Carolina PR. After World War II, the NAVRADSTA remained at Carolina. In order to make room for the International Airport, the NAVRADSTA began moving from Carolina to Sabana Seca. In January, 1952, the U.S. Naval Radio Station, Sabana Seca was officially designated. Also in January, 1952, a U.S. Naval Security Group Detachment was established, and was co-located with the NAVRADSTA at Sabana Seca. In 1957, Roosevelt Roads was redesignated as a Naval Station. It grew over the years to include acquisition of the Army's Fort Bundy, which comprisesd the southern portion of the Naval Station and an additional 29,000 acres of land on Vieques Island. Various Naval facilities were spread over the entire eight thousand acres, which comprised the Naval Station complex. Naval Station Roosevelt Roads closed on March 31, 2004. Communications Support Activity (DF), San Juan, 1938 Jan 1952 Carolina, PR Navy Direction Finding Station, San Juan, PR 1938 Feb 1942 Radio Intercept Station established at San Jan 1940 Geronimo, PR Direction Finding (DF) moved to Cabo Rojo Feb 1942 Navy Direction Finding Station, Cabo Rojo, PR Feb 1942 Jan 1943 Moved to Trinidad NAVRADSTA Carolina, PR Jan 1943 Jan 1952 U.S. Naval Radio Station, San Juan, Carolina, PR 01 Aug 1943 Jan 1952 Radio Intercept (RI) moved to NSG Det, Jan 1952 Sabana Seca, PR NAVRADSTA Sabana Seca, PR Jan 1952 1952 NSG Det, Sabana Seca, PR Jan 1952 1952 NSG Dept, NCS Puerto Rico, Sabana Seca, PR 1952 01 Jul 1971 NSGA Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico 01 Jul 1971 31 Jan 2003 =================================================================================== San Miguel Island, Channel Islands, CA San Miguel Island is 14 square miles, and ranks sixth in size of the eight California Channel Islands. Including Prince Island, which lies in the entrance to Cuyler's Harbor, San Miguel Island contains 9,325 acres. It is approximately eight miles long and four miles wide, and is the westernmost of the Northern Channel Islands. San Miguel Island is approximately 26 miles from the mainland, about 58 miles from Ventura Harbor, and its closest neighbor, Santa Rosa Island is three miles to the east. In 1980, San Miguel Island became one of the five islands included in the Channel Islands National Park. The Channel Islands are part of Ventura County, California. The Channel Island National Park occupies five of the eight islands in the chain, as well as much of its offshore waters, including Anacapa Island, Santa Cruz Island, Santa Rosa Island, San Miguel Island, and Santa Barbara Island. The other Channel Islands are San Clemente Island, San Nicolas Island and Santa Catalina Island. San Clemente Island and San Nicolas Island are wholly owned U.S. Navy operated islands. San Clemente Island or U.S. Navy Station San Clemente has been owned and operated by Naval commands since 1934. Naval Air Station, North Island is responsible for its administration and operates Naval Auxiliary Landing Facility (NALF) San Clemente Island. Santa Catalina Island falls under the jurisdiction of Los Angeles County. Most of the island is owned by the Catalina Island Conservancy. San Miguel Island is wholly owned by the U.S. Navy, but is now managed by the National Park Service. The topography of San Miguel Islands is quite low in contrast to the rugged peaks, ridges and canyons found on some of the larger islands. It rises as a plateau, 400 to 800 feet above the sea. Waters surrounding the islands are often rough and hazardous due to submerged rocks and shoals. Prevailing northwesterly winds are almost constant, blowing sand quite readily. Dense fog often shrouds the island from view. It is the least accessible of the four Northern Channel Islands, and has been called the "graveyard of the Pacific" due to the large number of shipwrecks. The highest point on San Miguel Island is Green Mountain rising 831 feet at its highest point. Prince Island, a small islet at at the mouth of Cuyler's Harbor is 39.4 acres and has an elevation of 296 feet. A radiocarbon date of 8900 years before present establishes human presence on San Miguel Island but additional radiocarbon dating may place human occupation on the island as far back as 10,700 years. Archaeological surveys have mapped 542 Indian sites on the island, evidence that occupation on the island was more than casual or temporary. The Chumash Indians called San Miguel Island "Tuqan". The first European to land on San Miguel Island was Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese explorer on October 18, 1542. The expedition of Cabrillo discovered and named the islands of San Miguel and Santa Rosa "Islas de San Lucas". He later changed the name of San Miguel Island to "La Posesion" from one of his ships. It is known that Cabrillo wintered on San Miguel Island in 1542, during which time he broke either an arm or a leg, which later became infected. Knowing he was a dying man, Cabrillo turned his expedition over to his chief pilot Bartolome Ferrer. January 3, 1543 Cabrillo died as a result of his injury, and many believe he was buried on the island, although his grave was never found. In 1937, to honor this explorer, the Cabrillo Civic Clubs of California, a statewide Portuguese organization, placed a 40 inch high monument to Cabrillo on a knoll overlooking Cuyler Harbor. After Cabrillo's death the island was renamed "Juan Rodrigues" or "la Capitana" in his honor. In 1748, it appeared as "San Bernardo" on a map and was adopted by Miguel Costanso on his 1770 map. The name "San Miguel" won acceptance from the charts of English explorer George Vancouver in 1793. In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ceded California to the U.S. Government but the Channel Islands were not included. The treaty was redrawn a few years later, but San Miguel Island was again inadvertently omitted from the the list of islands the U.S. was to acquire. In 1895, Great Britain intended to take advantage of this technicality in order to acquire a coaling station between Vancouver and the Hawaiian Islands. President Grover Cleveland must have heard of the threat, for in July, 1896, Nicholas Covarrubias, local U.S. Marshall, had orders to sail with a group of surveyors to appropriate the property. The surveyors completed their work, and the island was assumed by many to be a U.S. Possession. Beginning in late 1700s and into the 1800s, Russian, British and American fur traders searched the islands' coves and shorelines for sea otter. The otter was almost hunted to extinction. The hunters then turned toward the seals and sea lions. Several of these species faced extinction as well. As on various other Channel Islands, squatters, fisherman and otter hunters lived on the island during historic times. In the 18th and 19th centuries, sea mammal hunters were drawn to the island in search of the fur bearing sea otter. Yankees, Russian sponsored Aleuts, and Kanakas and others were among those who came to hunt. Ranching probably began on the island sometime around 1850. The early "owners" of the islands were not legal owners, but owners by possession only. The first record of a long term resident on San Miguel Island was that of George Nidever. George Nidever purchased 6,000 sheep, 125 head of cattle and 25 horses and "All the right, title, interest, claim and ownership..." to one half of the island. The sale was made by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff to settle the debts of Samuel C. Bruce. This is the first recorded deed for San Miguel Island. It is unknown how Samuel Bruce obtained his interest. San Miguel Island was bought and sold several times over the next 18 years, when in 1887, one half of the island was sold to William G. Waters for $10,000. Captain Waters was a veteran of the Civil War and a commissioned officer with the Fifteenth Massachusetts. After the war he moved to California and resumed his trade as printer. In 1888, Captain Waters moved his wife, adopted daughter, maid and ranch hands to the island and began ranching. Captain Waters wife stayed on the island for only a portion of one year. She moved back to the mainland and died the following year. In 1897, Waters formed the San Miguel Island Company with the assistance of investors. In 1908, Waters and investor Elias Beckman became involved in a lawsuit which resulted in the U.S. Government exercising its right of ownership. Between 1911 and 1948, San Miguel Island saw its share of lessees with the U.S. Government. One of these lessees was Robert Brooks. Brooks hired his long time friend Herbert Lester to help manage the island. Herbert Lester was a victim of shell shock from World War I. After spending years in an Army hospital, Brooks felt the island would help him. In 1930, Lester and his wife Elizabeth moved to San Miguel Island. The Lesters lived in the house originally built by Captain Waters and had two daughters on the island. They seldom went to the mainland and when it came time to educate the children, Mrs. Lester did it herself. Herbert Lester became quite proficient in obtaining unusual memorabilia from shipwrecks and had his "Killer Whale Bar" to display them. Lester even proclaimed himself "King of San Miguel". Lester's endless charm and astonishingly likable personality together with Elizabeth's humor and intellect served as a magnet to draw famous and plain people out to the island. It was in 1935 that Mutiny on the Bounty was filmed near the island. Sadly, Herbert Lester, despondent over his health and ever tightening Navy restrictions, committed suicide in 1942. He was buried above Harris Point on San Miguel Island. His wife Elizabeth raised her children on the mainland. In 1974, Mrs. Lester published The Legendary King of San Miguel Island, a history of her life on the island. Elizabeth Lester died in 1981 and is buried next to her husband. The U.S. Navy took control over the Island of San Miguel in the late 1930's/early 1940's, just before World War II. In 1948, the Navy revoked Robert Brook's lease and ordered him off the land within 72 hours. Brooks left behind much of his belongings and livestock. He returned once, in 1950, in a short trip to collect some additional items, but he was never allowed to collect it all. From the mid-1940s to the mid- 1950s the island was used as a bombing range and missile-tracking station. Sheep grazed undisturbed until the 1960s, when the Navy ordered the elimination of all the animals. In 1966 the last 148 sheep were hunted and eliminated. The island continued to be a central point for Naval training well into the 1970's. There are no large trees or shrubs on San Miguel Island. With the episodic cycles of droughts, overgrazing and soil stripping, this island has experienced, along with wind and water erosion, the island's vegetation has been severely impacted. In 1980, San Miguel Island became part of the Channel Islands National park. The island may host the largest elephant seal-population on earth. As many as 15,000 seals and sea lions can be seen basking on the rocks during mating season. Navy Direction Finding Site, San Miguel Island, CA =================================================================================== San Nicolas Island, Channel Islands, California San Nicolas Island (sometimes shortened as San Nic or SNI), lies in the Santa Barbara Channel, located 75 miles west of Los Angeles, and 65 nautical miles southwest of the Point Mugu complex. San Nicolas, a 14,562 acre, 22.753 square mile island, is one of the smallest of the eight Channel Islands, larger only than Santa Barbara and Anacapa Islands. Only eight miles long and about three and a half miles across at its widest point, it is the farthest from the mainland, The other Channel Islands are Anacapa Island, San Clemente Island, San Miguel Island, Santa Barbara Island, Santa Catalina Island, Santa Cruz Island and Santa Rosa Island. Like its eastern neighbor San Clemente Island, San Nicolas Island is a U.S. Navy owned and operated island. The Channel Islands are part of Ventura County, California. San Nicolas Island is used as a weapons testing and training facility; and is the corner- stone in the Sea Range. Because of its instrumentation, isolated environment, shoreline characteristics, land mass and depth of surrounding waters; San Nicolas Island is ideal for conducting littoral warfare testing and training exercises, including tri-service and theater warfare exercises. It is also an excellent environment for conducting classified operations. Although the island is officially uninhabited as of the 2000 U.S. Census, it is estimated that the number of military and civilian personnel on the island numbers at least 200 at any given time. The main support facilities include a 10,000 foot runway, an air terminal, housing, a power plant, a fuel farm and other necessary base support functions. The San Nicolas Island complex provides complete housing, dining, recreation, transportation, public works and logistics support and project billeting. The island, first discovered in 1543 by the Spanish explorer Ferrer, was named for Saint Nicolas by the Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno after he sighted the island on the saint's feast day (December 6) in 1602. San Nicolas Island was originally the home of the Nicoleño people, who were probably related to the Tongva of the mainland and Santa Catalina Island. The Nicoleños were present until 1835, when they were evacuated to the mainland by the padres of the California mission system; after a series of conflicts with Russian-led Aleutian fur trappers decimated their population. Within a few years of their removal from the island, the Nicoleño people and their unique language became extinct. During the 1800s, smugglers used the island to avoid custom duties. The island was also used by fisherman, as well as for sheep and goat grazing. Although low scrub oaks originally covered the landscape, most were destroyed by the goats. In the 1920s or early 1930s, the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) built two emergency dirt landing strips 2300 and 2100 feet long. In January, 1933, the CAA relinquished the airstrips and the U.S. Navy took over ownership of the island. In 1939, a Naval Weather Station was established issuing daily weather reports to NAS San Diego. In late 1942, the U.S. Army Air Corps developed a requirement to build an interceptor base for the air defense of Southern California. The Navy gave the Army permission to build the base providing the Navy could also use the facility. By the time construction reached completion, the Army no longer had a need for the base, turning it over to the Navy. Used for patrol aircraft, training, and other activities, San Nicolas Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) was commissioned on September 26, 1944, an auxiliary of NAS San Diego. In November 1944, ACORN 46 trained at the station followed by ACORN 45. The ACORNs, Seabee units from Port Hueneme, built and operated small standardized advanced air bases. PB4Ys from Camp Kearny used the base for training and staging until the end of the war. Carrier aircraft from Southern California stations also utilized the airfield for training. NAAS San Nicolas consisted of the island's entire 13,370 acres, with a single Army- built 6250 x 150-foot runway. Station complement numbered 121 officers, 312 enlisted men, and nine civilians, with barracks for 100 officers and 346 enlisted men. A 30- man dispensary and an auditorium with a 300-person capacity also existed. The station aircraft were usually a Grumman J4F Widgeon amphibian and a TBF Avenger. Following the war, the Navy decided to locate all testing of pilotless aircraft and missiles on the West Coast. The site chosen was Pt. Mugu, 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles. San Nicolas Island was a major factor in this choice, since it was an ideal location for placement of radar and telemetry equipment to observe missile testing in Pt. Mugu's 100-mile long range. Initially, the Navy spent $5 million upgrading the facilities. San Nicolas was officially disestablished as an NAAS on December 15, 1946, and was recommissioned as a Naval Auxiliary Landing Field (NALF), an auxiliary station subordinate to Pt. Mugu. Between 1957 and 1973, and in 2004, U.S. military research rockets were launched from San Nicolas Island in support of other missile tests from Vandenberg AFB or Point Mugu, CA. Naval Facility (NAVFAC) San Nicolas Island was commissioned on October 31, 1957. San Nicolas was occupied solely by the U.S. Navy with the Naval Facility located on the eastern shore about mid-island. Although dependents were not authorized on the island, numerous recreational facilities and activities kept assigned personnel busy, including fishing, movies, bowling, pool, softball, football, tennis, basketball, hiking, volleyball, racquetball, handball, swimming, a movie theater and a recreation center. Diving for abalone shells, unique to the waters, was a special treat. NAVFAC San Nicolas Island operated for twenty-six and a half years and was decommissioned on March 2, 1984 when accoustic data was remoted to NAVFAC Centerville Beach. Navy Outlying Field (NOLF) San Nicolas Island is capable of supporting C-5's, the 10,000 foot runway, 2 hangers, and associated airfield support facilities are located near the southwest edge of a 500 foot mesa. The runway is lighted and equipped with arresting gear, and has a ground control approach systems (ILS). The Barge Landing on the beach landing area is used to barge cargo too large or bulky for aircraft. Cargo can be off-loaded and trucked to the main compound or one of the many project areas. CV-440 aircraft operate from Naval Air Weapons Center (NAWC) Pt. Mugu, to Navy Outlying Field San Nicolas Island; and from Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island to Naval Auxiliary Landing Field (NALF) San Clemente Island. The San Nicolas Island Vandal Launch Pad/Launch Complex, part of the Pacific Missile Test Range, is capable of supporting Tomahawk missile and Vandal missile target launches. Many of the targets routinely used on the Sea Range are launched from either the Surface Launch Complex at Point Mugu, or from additional specialized launch facilities on San Nicolas Island. The west end of San Nicolas Island provides a secured area for missile targets and is often used for Strategic Land Attack Missile (SLAM) and land attack missile operations. The Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS) is a remote controlled ship with Sea Sparrow, Remote Attack Missiles (RAM), and the Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) defense systems and various target acquisition systems. It provides an open-ocean, integrated, self-defense platform, without the safety constraints associated with a manned ship. Navy Direction Finding Site, San Nicholas Island, CA =================================================================================== Seawall, Mansett, ME Naval Supplementary Radio Station (DF) Seawall, ME Sep 1942 1951 Equipment Research Station =================================================================================== Sitka, Baranof Island and Japonski Island, Alexander Archipelago, Alaska The City and Borough of Sitka is a unified city-borough located on the west side of Baranof Island in the Alexander Archipelago of the Pacific Ocean (part of the Alaska Panhandle), in the U.S. state of Alaska. Sitka is the state's fourth-largest city by population (with its population of approximately 8,000) and the largest city in the U.S. (by area), with a total area of 4,811.5 square miles. It is 95 air miles southwest of Juneau, 185 air miles northwest of Ketchikan, 590 air miles southeast of Anchorage, and almost 900 air miles north of Seattle. The Home Rule Charter of the City and Borough of Sitka was adopted on December 2, 1971, for the region of the Greater Sitka Borough, which was incorporated on September 24, 1963. The name Sitka is derived from Sheet’ká, a contraction of the Tlingit name Shee At'iká, which means "People on the Outside of Shee," (often expressed simply as Shee) being the Tlingit name for Baranof Island. The town is sometimes referred to as "Sitka-by-the-Sea." The area was originally settled by the native Tlingit (Kolosh) Indians. Old Sitka was founded in 1799 by Alexandr Baranov, the governor of Russian America. Baranov arrived under the auspices of the Russian-American Company, a "semi-official" colonial trading company chartered by Tsar Paul I. In 1802, a group of Tlingit destroyed the original establishment known as Redoubt Saint Michael (an area today called the "Old Sitka") and massacred most of the Russian inhabitants. Baranov was forced to levy 10,000 rubles in ransom for the safe return of the surviving settlers. Baranov returned to Sitka in 1804, with a large contingent of Russians and Aleuts aboard the Russian warship Neva. The ship bombarded the natives' village, forcing the Tlingits to retreat into the surrounding forest. Following their victory at the Battle of Sitka, the Russians established a permanent settlement in the form of a fort, named "Novoarkhangelsk" (or "New Archangel", a reference to Arkhangelsk, the largest city in the region where Baranov was born). In 1808, with Baranov still Governor, Sitka was designated the capital of Russian America. By the 1860s, Russia's interest in North America was waning. The sea otter pelt trade had died out. Russian and U.S. representatives signed a treaty to sell Russian America to the U.S. for $7.2 million on March 29, 1867. Sitka was the site of the ceremony, in which the Russian flag was lowered and the U.S. flag raised, after Alaska was purchased by the U.S. The flag lowering and raising event is re-enacted in Sitka every October 18 (Alaska Day). After the original ceremony, the entire U.S. government presence in Alaska, until the Klondike Gold Rush, consisted of a single customs inspector on the island. Sitka would serve as the capital of the Alaska Territory until 1906, when the seat of government was relocated north to Juneau. The state's first newspaper, The Sitka Times, was published by Barney O. Ragan on September 19, 1868. Gold mining and fish canning paved the way for the town's initial growth. Sitka was the site of a U.S. Army garrison, from 1867 to 1877. After the Army pulled out, a series of Naval installations were located in Sitka. Japonski Island, in Sitka Sound, was utilized as an anchorage for a Navy ship from 1879 to 1897. It became a U.S. Naval Reservation in 1890, shortly after the U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia. Japonski Island hosted a Marine Barracks from 1884 to 1912. In 1902, a Navy coaling station was constructed. It was the site of a Naval Hospital from 1904 to 1912. It was the site of a Naval Radio Station from 1907, as part of the Alaska Communications System (ACS). From 1938 to 1954, the Navy Direction Finding Station, Sitka, was co-located with the U.S. Naval Radio Station. During the 1930s, the U.S. began to rethink its western defenses, as it became clear that Japan was attempting to create an empire in the Eastern Pacific. the Navy war planners updated the Orange war plan to create a strategic triangle of defenses that stretched from Panama, to Hawaii, to Alaska. Navy flying boats would fly surveillance flights along this line, to patrol the Gulf of Alaska and to ensure that no enemy force approached. Sizable bases already existed in the Canal Zone and the Territory of Hawaii, but there was no significant military presence in the Territory of Alaska. The military first came to Alaska in big numbers, in the late 1930s, after the Navy identified Sitka as an ideal location to base surveillance aircraft. The first base of the territory came to Sitka in 1937. The Navy began construction of three Naval Air Stations in Alaska, to meet the surveillance requirements set forth in Plan Orange. PBY Catalina flying boats from Naval Air Stations in Sitka, Kodiak, and Dutch Harbor were to patrol the Gulf of Alaska and the length of Aleutian Islands. In 1937, the Navy established a seaplane base on Japonski Island, with biplane flying boats. In February 1938, the seaplane base was redesignated as the Fleet Air Base, Sitka. In 1939, the Navy began the construction of the Naval Air Station. The Navy commissioned NAS Sitka on Japonski Island, on October 1, 1939, and 30,000 service personnel were ultimately stationed there. The early-model PBY aircraft soon gave way to the modern PBY 5A Catalina. On December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, NAS Sitka was the only established military base in Alaska. Construction continued, and on July 20, 1942, the Navy designated NAS Sitka as a Naval Operating Base. NOB Sitka was decommissioned on August 15, 1944. The Navy's presence in Sitka was not limited to the base on Japonski Island. Highwater Island, in Neva Straight, was a Navy checkpoint for vessels entering Sitka Sound from the north. Many sites were chosen around the region for fuel and bomb caches. In the event of an attack on Sitka, the PBYs were to disperse to these caches to load weapons, refuel, and counterattack. Navy section bases were established at Port Armstrong, on southern Baranof Island and at Port Althorp, in Cross Sound. The section bases were considered part of NAS Sitka, and crews and aircraft often rotated between the stations. In addition, there were joint U.S. Army/U.S. Navy installations. While the Army defended the Navy base and town from attack, the Navy controlled all vessels entering and exiting Sitka Sound. Three Signal Stations were planned in Sitka Sound, Little Biorka Island, St. Lazaria Island, and Sound Island. These stations were manned by both Navy and Army personnel. Navy men would use radios, flags, and lights to signal ships. The installation on Makhnati Island was a joint U.S. Army Harbor Defense Command Post and a U.S. Navy Harbor Entrance Control Post. The cooperation between the Army and the Navy is evident as early as 1941, when the Navy supplied the Army with two Navy 6-inch guns and many 20mm cannon for AA defenses. The first Coast Guard Air Station in Alaska’s Southeastern panhandle, was established on Annette Island in March, 1944. The Air Detachment consisted of two pilots, five enlisted crew-members, and one aircraft, a Grumman JRF, No. 228. In the succeeding 33 years, aircrews from Annette Island performed search and rescue, law enforcement, and logistics missions throughout Southeast Alaska. Throughout this period Sitka, Alaska was a prominent refueling and staging point used by the Annette based Coast Guard aircraft. In 1977, the Coast Guard Air Station was relocated from Annette Island to Sitka, Alaska, which was more centrally located in the Southeastern Alaska operating area. In March of 1977, the barracks and hangar on Japanski Island in the immediate vicinity of Sitka were completed, and the move of personnel and equipment from Annette Island to Sitka began. On April 19, 1977, flight operations were shifted to Sitka. On Alaska Day, October 17, 1977, the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station, Sitka, was officially commissioned. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka, is manned by 20 officers and 100 enlisted personnel. The station’s area of responsibility extends throughout the "gateway" of what is called America’s "last frontier". In a "ready" status 24 hours a day for search and rescue, the crew and helicopters are also used for maintaining 39 marine aids-to- navigation along the rugged coastline and "inside" passage, conducting fisheries law enforcement patrols, enforcement of laws and treaties, and various other missions in cooperation with federal, state, and local government agencies. Additionally, the aircraft are often utilized for medevacs from outlying native communities and logging camps. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka is located on 165 acres of property owned by the Coast Guard. The base consists of a hangar complex, a barracks, a medical facility, and fifteen family housing quadruplexes. The facilities are located immediately adjacent to the Sitka Municipal Airport and near the Mt. Edgecombe USPHS Hospital. Coast Guard afloat units tie up to a Coast Guard dock located on Japonski Island. Today, the City and Borough of Sitka encompasses portions of Baranof Island and the smaller Japonski Island (across the Sitka Channel from the town), which is connected to Baranof Island by the O'Connell Bridge. Japonski Island is home to Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport, the Sitka branch campus of the University of Alaska Southeast, the Mt. Edgecumbe High School, a state-run boarding school for rural Alaskans, the Indian Health Service regional hospital SEARHC (SouthEast Alaska Regional Healthcare Center), a U.S. Coast Guard Air Station, and the port and facilities for the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Maple. Navy Direction Finding Station, Sitka, AK 1938 1954 at Naval Radio Station (NAVRADSTA), Sitka, AK Transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard =================================================================================== Smith Island, Washington Smith Island is an island located in the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington, about mid-way between Admiralty Inlet and Lopez Island in Island County. It is connected to the smaller Minor Island, to its east, by a low spit that covers at high tide. The low, grassy islands have a few trees and are important habitat for seabirds, and the beaches are a resting site for sea lions. The islands are part of the San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge, and are usually closed to the public. Washington's Island County consists of just two large islands, Whidbey and Camano, and six small, uninhabited islands: Smith Island to the west, Deception and Pass islands in Deception Pass, and Ben Ure, Strawberry, and Baby islands in Saratoga Passage. The area that comprises Island County was first explored by Captain George Vancouver (1758-1798) during the spring of 1792. For thousands of years, the only occupants of the Pacific Northwest were Indians who lived in large communal longhouses subsisting on fish, shellfish, wild game as well as roots and berries. Whidbey and Camano Islands, as well as the San Juan Islands were occupied by at least four groups of Northern Straits Salish Indians: Samish, Lummi, Songhees, and Saanich. With the exception of periodic wars with other Indian tribes, life was relatively quiet for many centuries. In the late 1700s and early 1800s the Indian population was decimated by disease transmitted through contact with white explorers. In some areas diphtheria, smallpox, and measles killed 90 percent of the Indians. By the time white settlers arrived, some local tribes had populations of only a few hundred and were so depleted they could not effectively resist the intruders. The Smith Island Light was constructed on the island in 1858. Originally, it stood about 200 feet away from the island's western edge. In 1923, the U.S. Navy built a Radio Compass Station near the light. This new aid-to- navigation broadcasted radio signals from Cattle Point, Smith Island, and New Dungeness to enable navigation through the worst weather using triangulation. The Navy built a radio tower, transmitting station, concrete power house, and living quarters for the sailors assigned to operate the radio compass. The Radio Compass Station was abandoned and closed in 1924, and a Navy Radio Beacon was installed. In the 1950's, The bluff on Smith Island suddenly began to erode. And the old lighthouse was abandoned, when the front door of the lighthouse reached the bluff. The lighthouse was replaced with an automated navigational light 97 feet high. The remains of the lighthouse could be seen from the 1980's, the last part of the broken lighthouse clinging precariously to the bluff. In the spring of 1998, the last remains toppled into the sea. The old island has been dark ever since. Still, the island is still there, but with no structures on it. The island is also the site of a weather station operated by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. U.S. Navy Radio Compass Station, Smith Island, WA 1923 1924 Navy Direction Finding Station, Smith Island, WA 04 Aug 1923 Aug 1924 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Smith Island, WA May 1923 =================================================================================== Soapstone Point, Alaska The Soapstone Cove Radio Station facility served as a communications relay station and a Radio Compass navigational aid. In addition to the antenna towers and transmitter station, there were buildings for housing and storage, a deep water dock, underground bomb shelter, and a lookout post on nearby Soapstone Point. Today there are only the foundations remaining. A large concrete chimney still stands from the transmitter building foundation, but is hidden by trees. The dock supports are slowly eroding from tidal action, and the bomb shelter is occasionaly used by campers. There is a trail leading approximately 3/4 of a mile through the forest and muskeg to Soapstone point, which you can still follow in most places. At the point is the foundation of the lookout post (possibly a base end station for the George Island gun) and some concrete blocks which could have been antenna mounts. There is no sign of telephone lines from the observation post to the radio station, although they could have been salvaged by the Army or by locals. During the 1964 Good Friday earthquake, the ground shifted slightly in this area, making the cove too shallow for large boats to enter. In 1939, the U.S. Navy maintained Direction Finder Stations at Soapstone Point (Cross Sound) and at Cape Hinchinbrook (Prince William Sound). Navy Direction Finding Station, Soapstone Point, AK 1921 1938 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Soapstone Point, AK =================================================================================== South San Francisco, California In 1926, the city of San Francisco sought to construct and establish an airport. Hilly San Francisco was severely geographically restricted, so the City traveled south to find an adequate site. Property was leased for $2,500 per year from the estate of Darius Ogden Mills, a merchant millionaire from the 1860's Gold Rush days. Mills had established a rancho at the site, within the nearby township of Millbrae. Mills Field Municipal Airport was first opened and dedicated on May 7, 1927, a modest dirt air strip and a small wooden building, on what had been 150 acres of cow pasture. It remained Mills Field until 1931, when it was renamed San Francisco Municipal Airport, and officially named Mills Field Municipal Airport of San Francisco. In 1955, it was renamed San Francisco International Airport, and is commonly referred to in the Bay Area, by it's Airport Code "SFO". Starting in 1935, Pan American World Airways used the facility Mills Field as the terminal for its "China Clipper" flying boat service across the Pacific Ocean. Domestic flights did not begin en masse, however, until World War II, when Oakland International Airport was taken over by the military and its passenger flights were shifted to San Francisco. On November 15, 1940, the U.S. Coast Guard commissioned an Air Station at Mills Field. The station was formally dedicated on February 15, 1941. In April of 1942, the station was assigned to the operational command of Commander, Western Sea Frontier, U.S. Navy. The planes attached to the Air Station were then considered and treated as a Squadron Command, under the Commander of the Air Task Group of the Frontier for all operations. During the war the Coast Guard Air Station operated a PBY-5 Catalina and two RD-4 Dolphins which were used to fly coastal patrol missions. Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco was also tasked with aiding in the construction of the highly classified and secret Long Range Navigation (LORAN) stations in the North Pacific in 1943. Proving an invaluable asset in this important mission, the San Francisco based PBY-5 Catalina was instrumental in the completion of the Aleutian LORAN chain by transporting personnel, supplies and building materials. In addition to PBY-5A Catalinas the PB2Y Coronado flying boat had been flown out of San Francisco in the last years of World War II. In 1945 Boeing PB-1G Flying Fortresses were assigned and then replaced by P4Y-2G Privateers. At the end of the Second World War, on June 30 1946, the station was released from the Navy and continued as a Coast Guard Search and Rescue unit. The Coast Guard remained at Mills Field throughout the war, conducting patrol and sea/air rescue operations. The Coast Guard's complement was 55 officers and 263 men, with barracks for 16 officers and 290 men. In 1941, Navy leased 85 acres at Mills Field and commissioned Naval Auxillary Air Facility (NAAF) South San Francisco. Naval presence at the NAAF was minimal with the Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Station also serving as the Commanding Officer of the NAAF. Treasure Island was built with imported fill on shoals on the north side of Yerba Buena Island for the Expo in 1939. The island sits in the "middle" of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Built by the federal government, Treasure Island was planned for and used as an airport for Pan American Airline's Pacific Rim service of flying boats, of which the China Clipper is an example. After the World's Fair 1939-40 exhibition, the island was scheduled to be used as an airport. The U.S. Navy needed a west location to station troops, enroute to the Pacific during World War II. Treasure Island came to the attention of the Navy. The central location made it ideal for storing equipment and stationing troops, and the Navy offered to trade Mills Field, South of San Francisco, for Treasure Island. The agreement between the U.S. Navy and the City and County of San Francisco was made. In 1941, the 85 acre Naval Auxillary Air Facility, South San Francisco was closed, and Treasure Island was leased to the Navy, and became Naval Station Treasure Island. On April 17, 1942, the U.S. Navy formally served notice that it was the owner of Treasure Island, where it had maintained a base under a lease from the city for more than a year. After the beginning of World War II, at the San Francisco Municipal Airport, additional land was created by hydraulic fill and three hard-surfaced runways were built, the longest was 8,000 feet. In September, 1942, Pan American Airways began operating under contract to the Navy from the Treasure Island seaplane base. By 1944, growth of Naval activities on and around Treasure Island prompted Pan Am to move its operation to Mills Field. Pan Am continued to use the facilities at Treasure Island for aircraft overhaul. Pan Am also had operations at Floyd Bennett Field, New York; Dinner Key, Florida; and Seattle, Washington. Today, Mills Field is the San Francisco International Airport, a major international airport located 13 miles south of downtown San Francisco, adjacent to the cities of Millbrae and San Bruno, in unincorporated San Mateo County. The airport has flights to destinations throughout the Americas and is a major gateway to Europe, Asia, and Australasia-Oceania. The Coast Guard maintains an active Air Station with several helicopters. Navy Direction Finding Station, Farallon Islands, CA 1923 Jun 1942 Moved to South San Francisco Navy Direction Finding Station, South San Francisco, CA Jun 1942 Mar 1943 At Naval Radio Station (NAVRADSTA) South San Francisco, CA Located at Mills Field, South San Francisco. Moved to Castroville, CA Navy Direction Finding Station, Castroville, CA Mar 1943 Jul 1945 Transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard =================================================================================== St. Paul, St. Paul Island, Pribilof Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska Saint Paul is a city in the Aleutians, in Alaska. It is the main settlement of Saint Paul Island in the Pribilofs, a small, grassy island group in the Bering Sea. St. Paul is the northernmost and largest of the Pribilof Islands. St. Paul and Pribilof Islands are located approximately 500 miles west of the Alaska mainland in the North Pacific. The islands are famous for their rugged, natural beauty, large seal populations and migrating birds. St. Paul Island is 14 miles long, and is home to the world's largest fur seal rookeries. The island has rolling hills and steep sea cliffs, but the islands hallmark is its black sand beaches that are, in summer, fur seal territory. The Pribilof Islands are widely known as a birdwatching paradise, home to many birds that do not occur in North America beyond Alaska. Over 240 different species of birds have been identified there, and an estimated two million seabirds nest there annually. St. Paul, especially, is popular with birdwatchers, having a high cliff wall, known as Ridge Wall, above the Bering Sea. Five islands comprise the Pribilofs: St. Paul, St. George, Otter Island, Walrus Island and Sea Lion Rock. The Pribilofs, also nown as "the Galapagos of the North", sit at the edge of the continental shelf with the shallower Eastern Bering Sea to the east and the deeper waters of the Aleutian Basin to the west. The Pribilof archipelago, was formed by tips of a sub-oceanic volcanic range. The range of temperatures, year-round, is between 19 and 51 degrees fahrenheit. Average annual precipitation is 22 inches of rain and 56 inches of snow. The islands are treeless and covered with lush grasses, dwarf willows, lichens, mosses and numerous varieties of flowering plants. There are no natural harbors on the islands and only a few fresh-water streams on St. George. The Pribilof Islands (often called the Fur Seal Islands, Russian: Kotovi) are a group of four volcanic islands, lying in the Bering Sea, about 200 miles north of Unalaska and 200 miles south of Cape Newenham, the nearest point on the North American mainland. The Siberian coast is roughly 500 miles away. About 80 square miles in total area, they are mostly rocky, covered with meadow and tundra, and support a human population of 684 (2000 census), concentrated in the towns of St. Paul and St. George, each on an island of the same name. The principal islands are St. Paul (named from St. Peter and St. Paul's Day, on which it was discovered) and St. George (probably named after Pribilof's ship). The Otter and Walrus islets are near St. Paul. The total land area of all the islands is 75.072 square miles, the remainder being water. The Pribilof Islands were first sighted in 1767, and were discovered in 1786 by Russian fur traders, Gavriil Pribylov, the Russian navigator, who named the island group, discovered the fur seal rookeries, for which the Pribilofs became famous. They landed first on St. George and named this larger island to the north St. Peter and St. Paul Island. In 1788, the Russian American Company enslaved and relocated Aleuts from Siberia, Atka and Unalaska to the Pribilofs to hunt fur seals; their descendants live on the two islands today. The last shots of the Civil War were fired in the Bering Strait, between Alaska and Russia on June 22-29 1865. The Confederate Navy raider CSS Shenandoah captured and burned 25 yankee whaling ships, in the last offensive action of the Civil War; two and a half months after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. Purchased from Russia, the Pribilof Islands passed with Alaska to the U.S. in 1867. Russia sold its claims on the land of Russian America, and the vessels of the Russian American Company, to the U.S. for $7,200,000. The territory was named Alaska, based on a derivative of the Unangan term Alaxaxaq meaning "land east of the Aleutians." American traders, fishers, trappers, and prospectors were the next wave of settlers. In 1870, the Alaska Commercial Company was awarded a 20-year sealing lease by the U.S. Government, and provided housing, food and medical care to the Aleuts in exchange for seal harvesting. In 1890, a second 20-year lease was awarded to the North American Commercial Company. From 1890 through 1910, the North American Commercial Company held the monopoly on seal-hunting on the islands. However, the fur seals had been severely over harvested and poverty ensued. The 1910 Fur Seal Act ended private leasing on the Islands and placed the community and fur seals under the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries. Food and clothing were scarce, social and racial segregation were practiced, and working conditions were poor. During World War II, the Pribilof Aleuts were moved to Funter Bay on Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska as part of the emergency evacuation of residents from the Bering Sea. Unlike other Aleutian residents, they were confined in an abandoned cannery and mine camp at Funter Bay. Under the Fur Seal Act of 1966, hunting of these seals is forbidden in the Pribilof Islands with the exception of subsistence hunting by Indians, Aleuts, and Inuit who live on the islands. In 1979, the Aleut Islanders received $8.5 million in partial compensation for the unfair and unjust treatment they were subject to under federal administration between 1870 and 1946. In 1983, Congress passed the Fur Seal Act Amendments, which ended government control of the commercial seal harvest and the federal presence on the island. Responsibility for providing community services and management of the fur seals was left to local entities. $20 million was provided to help develop and diversify the Island economy, $12 million to St. Paul and $8 million to St. George. Commercial harvesting on St. Paul ceased in 1985. Ownership of fur seal pelts is now prohibited except for subsistence purposes. With the end of the fur seal harvest, St. Paul was obliged to create a new economy from scratch. With the help of some governmental subsidies, the community improved its harbor, and eventually became a port for the Central Bering Fishing fleet. At the same time, two commercial companies, Icicle and Unisea, established on and off shore fish processing facilities. Today, the City of Saint Paul, has a population of 532 (2000 census). The economy was heavily dependent on the once lucrative king crab fishery, but populations have been decimated over the years. The main industries of St. Paul and the Pribilof Islands are commercial halibut fishing, and marine support services to the various commercial fleets plying the waters of the Bering Sea. The balance of economic activity on the island is U.S. Government activity. In 1944, the Coast Guard installed a LORAN (long range aids to navigation) station on St. Paul, to help captains of U.S. ships and aircraft pilots pinpoint their locations. The Coast Guard stationed 19 men on St. Paul Island to operate the station, including electrical technicians, cooks, medics, and others. The U.S. Coast Guard still maintains a base on St. Paul. The base is the Master Station of the North Pacific LORAN-C Chain. The Commander of the 17th Coast Guard District, based in Juneau, Alaska, is dual hatted as Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Alaska, accomplishing both the peacetime and wartime Naval tasks in Alaska. Major peacetime responsibilities include search and rescue, law enforcement of territorial waters, maintenance of navigational maritime aides and ensuring maritime safety. District 17 forces are located at Petersburg, Juneau, Ketchikan, Homer, Seward, Tok, Anchorage, Kenai, Valdez, Nome, St. Paul, and three air stations at Kodiak, Sitka and Cordova. The district uses a wide variety of vessels including tenders, patrol boats and medium endurance cutters. During wartime, Coast Guard forces provide the majority of Naval forces in Alaska for the defense of the state's 33,000 miles of shoreline. Seven buoy tenders and an aids-to-navigation team maintain nearly 1,300 navigational aids. Three of the district's six Long Range Navigation (LORAN) stations including St. Paul, are among the Coast Guard's last isolated units. More than 1,800 active duty, 400 auxiliary, and 50 reserve U.S. Coast Guardsmen serve in Alaska, alonng side 140 civilian employees. The National Weather Service maintains a station on St. Paul Island, and NOAA maintains a significant presence there as well. St. George, on St. George Island, has a smaller population of 152. The economy is similar to that of St Paul. Many of the residents of the islands are related. The islands are home to a majority of Alaska's Aleut population. St. Paul and St. George constitute the largest Aleut community in the world, with 800 of the remaining population of 3,200 Aleuts. In 1999, the Nature Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund conducted the first ever conservation assessment of the Being Sea for habitat purposes. The assessment brought together the expertise of U.S., Russian and Japanese researchers with the traditional knowledge of Bering Sea residents. Copies of the assessment, which identifies patterns of biodiversity, pinpoints and prioritizes areas in need of increased conservation, and provides recommendations for action, are available to the public. Building on this assessment, the Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund worked with the communities of both St. Paul Island and St. George Island to establish a conservation plan for the islands and the surrounding marine ecosystem, and are now implementing the plan, including a collaborative stake- holder process to explore protection of marine resources around the islands. Navy Direction Finding Station, St. Paul, AK Feb 1936 Aug 1937 at U.S. Naval Radio Station (NAVRADSTA) (DF), St. Paul, AK =================================================================================== Stratford Shoal, Long Island Sound, Bridgeport, Connecticut The Stratford Shoal Lighthouse, also known as the Middleground Light is located on Stratford Shoal, a dangerous reef in western Long Island Sound, three quarters of a mile long and about midway between Long Island, NY (Port Jefferson, NY), and Bridgeport, Connecticut. The Stratford Shoal Lighthouse is frequently classified as a New York lighthouse, and the land for the lighthouse, less than one acre, was indeed ceded to the federal government by the State of New York on May 11, 1874. However, official maps today place the lighthouse on the Connecticut side of Long Island Sound by a good 1,000 feet. With good arguments on both sides, the debate over whether the lighthouse should be classified as in Connecticut or in New York, will likely never be settled. The earliest known maps of Long Island Sound, charted by Adrian Block during his explorations of the area in 1614, showed two islands where the Stratford Shoal Lighthouse now stands. Over the following hundred years or so, the sea washed the islands off the map. Erosion wore the islands down until they were below sea level, leaving behind the dangerous Middleground Shoal measuring three quarters of a mile long. The rocks were located roughly in the middle of Long Island Sound, 5.5 miles from Stratford Point, CT and 5 miles from Old Field Point, NY, and covered by less than two feet of water, a constant and dangerous threat to Long Island Sound shipping. The Light Station was established in 1837. Various aids to navigation were employed for decades before a lighthouse was built at Stratford Shoal. Spar buoys were placed on each side of the shoal in about 1820, and a lightship was stationed at the southeast end of Stratford Shoal, in January, 1838. During its years of service, the lightship lost its anchorage several times, due to ice and storms, once drifting 23 miles northeast, until it was found near Faulkner's Island. In 1872, the Lighthouse Board authorized $150,000 to build a lighthouse at Stratford Shoal, to replace the lightship. The lighthouse sits atop a "mountain peak" that juts out of the middle of Long Island Sound. It was one of the last masonry lighthouses built at an offshore location, before the development of cast iron towers, with tubular foundations. It is very similar to Race Rock Light in Fishers Island Sound, built about the same time. Between 1874 and 1876, tons of huge undressed granite blocks, attached together with thick cast iron staples, encased in lead, provided the 19 foot tall, 55 foot diameter foundation. The interior of the foundation was filled with concrete, with a space left vacant for a brick lined basement and two storage cisterns. Storms caused numerous construction delays. Just a month before the lighthouse was completed, on November 8, 1877, a schooner housing the construction crew was driven onto the rocks, but the crew managed to escape safely and took up temporary residence in the lighthouse. On December 15, 1877, the lighthouse became operational, with its fourth order Fresnel lens being lit for the first time, exhibiting a flashing white light. The lighthouse tower was 35 foot tall, and the lantern was 60 feet above sea level. The bottom portion of the tower is square, while the upper section is octagonal. With a gray granite exterior, a white lantern and a gabled roof, the lighthouse tower is attached to the south side of the square Keeper's dwelling. In 1880, a powerful fog trumpet was added. The Stratford Shoal Lighthouse contained two stories, including living quarters for a keeper and two assistants. The keeper’s dwelling had a living room, kitchen, five bedrooms, a sitting room, and a supply room. An iron spiral staircase leads up the tower to the lantern room. The remoteness of the station created difficult living conditions for the keepers. Photo at the following URL: . The original Fresnel lens was replaced in 1894, by a new Fresnel lens powered by a kerosene lamp. The lens was replaced (again) in 1905. In 1938, the light source was converted to electric, with a wet battery supplying the necessary current. Stratford Shoal Light was automated in 1970. The Fresnel lens was removed, a modern solar powered aerobeacon was installed, the Coast Guard keepers were no longer required, and the lighthouse was vacated. Since 1970, much of the interior detailing of the dwelling has been removed. The lighthouse remains an Active U.S. Coast Guard aid to navigation. It can be seen distantly from the Bridgeport to Port Jefferson ferry, looking like a ghostly castle, but it is most easily seen by private boat, and is not open to the public. The Stratford Shoal lighthouse is listed on the List of Registered Historic Places in Connecticut. Navy Direction Finding Calibration Station, Stratford Shoal Light, CT =================================================================================== Sullivan's Island, Moultrieville, South Carolina Sullivan's Island is a barrier island in Charleston County, at the entrance to the Charleston Harbor. The population was 1,911 at the 2000 census. It is also the site of a major battle of the American Revolution at Fort Sullivan (Now Fort Moultrie) on June 28, 1776. The island was known as O'Sullivan's Island from an early date, because of the Irishman, Captain Florence O'Sullivan, who was stationed there as a lighthouse keeper, in the late seventeenth century. The island was completely defoliated in order to distinguish the approach to Charleston Harbor. Sullivan's Island was the primary disembarkation entrance port to the British North American colonies for over 40% (4-8 million persons) of the slave trade into the British Colonies. Sullivans Island served as the primary quarantine quarters and slave market for the American Colonies, and was the largest slave port in North America. It is estimated that nearly half of all African Americans have ancestors that passed through Sullivans Island. On June 28, 1776, a makeshift log fort was held by colonial forces against a sustained siege and bombardment by British forces, under Lord Cornwallis, attempting to enter the harbor, to besiege and conquer the City of Charleston. The palmetto logs used in the fort's barrier construction proved to be remarkably spongy and absorbed the cannon balls. The Battle of Fort Moultrie was commemorated by the addition of a white palmetto tree to the blue and white crescent moon flag of South Carolina. The victory is still celebrated every June 28, known as Carolina day. Fort Moultrie's extensive coastal defenseworks served as the base of command for the defenses of the City of Charleston, until it was closed in the late 1947. The town on the island was incorporated in 1817 as Moultrieville, on the southwest half of the island. Another community on the northeast portion, Atlanticville, later merged with Moultrieville to form the Town of Sullivan's Island. Lifesaving Station The Sullivan’s Island Coast Guard Station is the oldest extant Lifesaving Station on the South Carolina Coast. The diversion of the main shipping channel at Charleston Harbor, from the vicinity of Morris Island, to that of Sullivan's Island, rendered the Morris Island Lifesaving Station too remote to afford prompt assistance to vessels encountering disaster, while entering or leaving the port through the new channel. Therefore, the U.S. Lighthouse Board decided to build a new station on Sullivan's Island. The Sullivan's Island Lifesaving Station, located at Moultrieville, at the north end of the harbor jetty, was established on August 1, 1895. In 1891, the nearby summer village of Moultrieville deeded five acres of land to the U.S. Government for the express purpose of establishing a Lifesaving Station. In 1896, an additional acre was allotted to compensate for loss of land by erosion. The Lifesaving Station was built between 1894 and 1895. Six men served under the first keeper. The station house/administration building (c1891), boathouse (c1891), garage (c1938), and signal tower (c1938) are laid out in an L-shaped court, loosely organized around the bunker/sighting station (c1898). On January 28, 1915, Congress combined the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S. Lifesaving Service to form the Coast Guard, and the Lifesaving Station became part of the U.S. Coast Guard Station Sullivan's Island. In 1934, the U.S. Coast Guard was granted a permit by the War Department to construct and operate a pier, wharf, boat hoist and boat shelter on the Fort Moultrie Military Reservation. With the closing of Fort Moultrie in 1947, Sullivan's Island Lifeboat Station was able to add the existing pier and boathouse to the station. The Lifesaving Station at Sullivan's Island was discontinued, sometime after 1950. The station was listed in the National Register June 19, 1973. Charleston Lighthouse (Old) The first Charleston Lighthouse was established in 1767, on Morris Island, at the Charleston Harbor Entrance. The original brick tower was built by the Colony of South Carolina in 1767, and was turned over to the Federal Government on August 7, 1789. During the Civil War, the tower, lens and lantern of the lighthouse were destroyed by the Confederate Army. Nearly 164 lights were forcibly discontinued during the Civil War on the southern coasts. Rebuilt in 1876, the new lighthouse was 161 feet in height and the cost was $149,993.50. A first order Fresnel lens was installed. The cyclone of August 25, 1885, destroyed the rear beacon of the Morris Island range, overturned part of the brick wall which enclosed the tower and dwelling of the main light, carried away the bridge between the beacons, and destroyed a large part of the plank walks connecting the several lights and dwellings, and overturned the boathouse. The range was reestablished 3 days later by a temporary beacon. A new wooden skeleton structure 40 feet high was built in 1885. The earthquake of August, 1886, threw the lens of the main light out of position and cracked the tower extensively in two places, but did not endanger its stability. The lens was replaced and the cracks were repaired. Charleston Lighthouse (New) Morris Island suffered severe land erosion over the years, and the lighthouse was in danger of being swallowed by the sea. The U.S. Coast Guard decided to relocate the Charleston Light to a new lighthouse on Sullivan's Island. Construction of the new Charleston lighthouse began in 1960. The new light was commissioned on June 15, 1962. The 140 foot tall tower (163 feet, including the base) was built in a triangular shape, to help protect it from hurricane winds. The lighthouse was built adjacent to the Fort Moultrie command bunker (built in the 1920's) and the fire control switchboard bunker (built in 1928), and the Battery Capron gun group command bunker (built in the 1920's). The tower boasts an internal elevator instead of the typical spiral staircase. The elevator ascends almost to the top of the tower, with a stairway leading from the elevator to the lantern room. The lighthouse building contains offices and is air conditioned. The upper portion of the tower was painted black, while the lower portion was painted white. Located on the north side of Charleston Harbor entrance, on the south side of Sullivans Island, the light was automated in 1975, and remains on both day and night. The Charleston Lighthouse is an active and operational U.S. Coast Guard aid to navigation. Sullivan's Island Range Lights The Sullivan's Island Range Lights were originally established in 1848, on Sullivan's Island, in Charleston Harbor, to guide ships over the Charleston Bar. The sixth order Fresnel lens and the light were destroyed in 1861, by the Confederate Army. After the surrender of Confederate forces in Charleston, a temporary beacon was placed in a skeleton tower, atop the roof of a private house on Sullivans Island, to mark the channel near the wreck of the ironclad USS Weehawken. A lightship was anchored directly over the wreck itself. In 1872, new Range lights were installed on government property at Fort Moultrie. The front beacon rested on the fort's parapet. The lightship was removed at this time. The Fort Moultrie station also included a keeper's quarters. In 1878, the front beacon was moved from the parapet to the glacis, a slope that ran downward from the fortifications of the fort. In 1879, it was raised six feet and placed upon a brick room that had served as an oil room. In 1899, the rear range light was discontinued and replaced by having two front range lights in operation. On May 20, 1899, it was renamed as the "South Channel Range" lights. The Range lights were extinguished and removed at an unknown date. Fort Moultrie Fort Moultrie is the name of a series of forts on Sullivan's Island, built to protect the city of Charleston. Col William Moultrie was second-in-command of Charleston's overall defenses. He had been charged with construction of Fort Sullivan, which had been planned out in January, 1776. The fort was still unnamed and not yet completed when nine British warships attacked it on June 28, 1776, near the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. After a nine-hour battle, the British warships were forced to retire. Charleston was saved from capture by the valiant efforts of the 2nd South Carolina Regiment. The fort was named for the commander in the battle, William Moultrie. In 1780, the British captured Charleston, and occupied Fort Moultrie from 1780 to 1782. The British renamed it Fort Arbuthnot. It was dismantled in 1784. Major General William Moultrie In 1780, William Moultrie was captured following the Siege of Charleston on May 12, 1780 and remained inprisoned for the next two years. He was exchanged for Maj. General John Burgoyne in February, 1782. On October 15, 1782, he was promoted to Major General. Following the war, William Moultrie was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1783. In 1784, he served as Lieutenant Governor. He was then elected governor for a two-year term in 1785. He was elected to the State Senate in 1787. He was elected to his second two-year term as governor in 1792. He retired from public office 1794. Moultrie died in Charleston on September 27, 1805. He was interred at Windsor Hill Plantation. Fort Sullivan had been renamed Fort Moultrie in his honor. After the Revolution, Fort Moultrie was neglected, and by 1791, little of it remained. World tensions heightened whrn Great Britain and France declared war on each other in 1793. The U.S. embarked on a systematic fortification of important harbors. A new Fort Moultrie, one of twenty new forts along the Atlantic coast, was completed over the decayed original fort in 1798. Destroyed by a hurricane in 1804, it was replaced by a brick fort by 1809, which stands today. The forts ringing Charleston Harbor, Moultrie, Sumter, Johnson, and Castle Pinckney, were built to complement each other. In December 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union, and the Federal garrison abandoned the indefensible Fort Moultrie and secretly escaped to the stronger Fort Sumter. Fort Moultrie was occupied by the Confederacy from December 1860. In 1861, Confederate troops shelled Fort Sumter into submission and the American Civil War began. Fort Sumter was then occupied by the Confederacy. In April 1863, Federal ironclads and shore batteries began a twenty month bombardment of Forts Sumter and Moultrie, yet Charleston’s defenses held. The Confederates held the forts and the harbor until February, 1865, when the Confederate Army evacuated Charleston and Forts Sumter and Moultrie. Fort Moultrie was modernized in the 1870s, with huge rifled cannon and deep concrete bunkers. Further modernization in the 1880s turned all of Sullivan's Island into a military complex, of which the old fort was just a part. In 1944, the Harbor Entrance Control Post was built on Fort Moultrie. Shortly after World War II, in 1947, Fort Moultrie was closed as an active U.S. Army base, and turned over to the National Park Service. The fort has been designated the Fort Moultrie National Monument, a unit of the Fort Sumter National Monument. Navy Direction Finding Site, Sullivan's Island, SC at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Sullivan's Island, SC =================================================================================== Surfside, Nantucket, Nantucket Island, Massachusetts Nantucket is an island 30 miles south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the town of Nantucket, and Nantucket County, which are consolidated. The region of Surfside on Nantucket is the southernmost settlement in Massachusetts. Siasconset, usually shortened to "Sconset", is the closest point in the U.S. to Portugal and Spain. The main settlement, also called Nantucket, is located at the western end of Nantucket Harbor, where it opens into Nantucket Sound. Localities on the island include Madaket, Surfside, Polpis, Wauwinet, Miacomet and Siasconset. Nantucket is a tourist destination and summer colony. The population of the island soars from approximately 10,000 to 50,000 during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. The Nantucket Historic District, comprising all of Nantucket Island, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 13, 1966. In doing so the National Park Service paid particular note to the settlements of Nantucket and Siasconset. The island features one of the highest concentrations of pre-Civil War structures in the U.S. Also nicknamed "The Grey Lady", Nantucket takes its name from a word in an Eastern Algonquian language of southern New England, originally spelled variously as natocke, nantican, and nautican. The meaning of the term is uncertain, though it may have meant "in the midst of waters." The island's beginnings in western history can possibly be traced to its conjectured sighting by Norsemen in the 11th century. But it was not until 1602, that Captain Bartholomew Gosnold of Falmouth, England sailed his bark Concord past the bluffs of Siasconset and really put Nantucket on the map (literally). The island's original inhabitants, the Wampanoag Indians, lived undisturbed until 1641, when the island was deeded by the English (the authorities in control of all land from the coast of Maine to New York) to Thomas Mayhew and his son, merchants of Watertown and Martha's Vineyard. Nantucket was part of Dukes County, New York until 1691, when it was transferred to the newly formed Province of Massachusetts Bay and split off to form Nantucket County. The entire area of the New York county had been purchased by Thomas Mayhew Sr. of Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1641, buying out competing land claims. The earliest English settlement in the area began on neighboring island Martha's Vineyard. As Europeans began to settle Cape Cod, the island became a place of refuge for regional Indians, as Nantucket was not yet settled by Europeans. The growing population of Native Americans welcomed seasonal groups of Indians who traveled to the island to fish and later harvest whales that washed up on shore. The history of Nantucket's settlement by the English did not began in earnest until 1659, when Thomas Mayhew sold his interest to the "nine original porchasers": Tristram Coffin, Thomas Macy, Christopher Hussey, Richard Swayne, Thomas Barnard, Peter Coffin, Stephen Greenleafe, John Swayne and William Pike, "for the sum of thirty Pounds, and also two beaver hats, one for myself, and one for my wife." Their purpose was to raise sheep as well as to find refuge from the religiously intolerant Puritans. Nantucket was formerly the world's leading whaling port, and still serves as home port for a small fishing industry. In 1672, looking for an additional source of revenue, the islanders recruited whaling men to settle on the island and teach islanders how to capture whales and obtain the oil. Whales were abundant at the time and could be captured close to shore. Eventually, though, aggressive hunting of the whales diminished their coastal population and whalers had to venture further out to sea to find them. by 1700, the island population consisted of approximately 800 Native Americans and 300 European settlers. Although the great fleet of whaling vessels was almost destroyed during the Revolutionary War and again during the War of 1812, Nantucket rebounded from adversity. From 1800-1840, Nantucket was the "Whaling Capital of the World" and was the third largest city in Massachusetts. By the Civil War, whaling was in decline and the island suffered great economic hardships. Not only had the whales been overhunted, but petroleum and other fuels replaced whale oil. The hardships were worsened by the 1846 "Great Fire" that, fueled by whale oil and lumber, devastated the main town, burning some 36 acres. It left hundreds homeless and poverty stricken, and many people left. As a result, after 1850, the economy declined, the population decreased rapidly and Nantucket was left under-developed and once again isolated; until the mid-20th century. But in true Nantucket fashion, the islanders turned this adversity to their advantage. This very isolation preserved the charm and beauty of Nantucket, and kept many of the pre-Civil War buildings intact. Enterprising developers began buying up large sections of the island and restoring them, to create an upmarket destination for the wealthy in the Northeastern U.S. By the 1950s, tourists eventually discovered "The Far Away Island". Nantucket has more buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places than any other place in Massachusetts and more than 800 houses are still standing that were built before the Civil War. The cobblestones that pave many Nantucket streets were originally used as ballast on the empty returning ships that delivered whale oil to England and the Pacific. The pineapple, a symbol of welcome and hospitality, also dates back to whaling days when sea captains brought this tropical fruit home to Nantucket and displayed it to announce that they had returned and guests were welcome. By the Civil War, whaling was in decline and the island suffered great economic hardships, worsened by the 1846 "Great Fire" that, fueled by whale oil and lumber, devastated the main town, burning some 36 acres. It left hundreds homeless and poverty stricken, and many people left. As a result, the island depopulated and was left under-developed and isolated until the mid-20th century. The isolation kept many of the pre-Civil War buildings intact and by the 1950s, enterprising developers began buying up large sections of the island and restoring them to create an upmarket destination for the wealthy in the Northeastern U.S. As a result, after 1850, the economy declined, the population decreased rapidly and Nantucket was left under-developed and once again isolated; until the mid-20th century. But in true Nantucket fashion, the islanders turned this adversity to their advantage. This very isolation preserved the charm and beauty of Nantucket, and kept many of the pre-Civil War buildings intact. Enterprising developers began buying up large sections of the island and restoring them, to create an upmarket destination for the wealthy in the Northeastern U.S. By the 1950s, tourists eventually discovered "The Far Away Island". Nantucket has more buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places than any other place in Massachusetts and more than 800 houses are still standing that were built before the Civil War. The U.S. Lifesaving Station, at Surfside, MA is believed to have been built in 1873 or 1874, three and one-half miles south of the town of Nantucket, from land obtained by the U.S. Government in 1873. Surfside is the name given to about four miles of coast on the south shore of Nantucket Island. Although there were eventually four lifesaving stations on the island of Nantucket, the station at Surfside was the first one established. The first keeper was appointed on October 15, 1874. A vacation guide published in 1889 mentions the following "The Life Saving Station at Surfside is about twenty rods west of the Nantucket railroad depot. Here, for eight months of the year men nightly patrol the beach for three miles each way." Necessary repairs and improvements were made on the station in 1893, because the station buildings "were old structures, much out of repair, and also in need of enlargement, in order to conveniently accommodate the crews and apparatus." On January 28, 1915, the U.S. Lifesaving Service and its functions were consolidated with the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service to form the Coast Guard; and the Lifesaving Station became the U.S. Coast Guard Station, Surfside, MA. The station was discontinued in 1921. The property was sold privately in 1962. The main building has been remodelled for use as a dwelling, but much of the original construction remains. The buildings that comprised the Lifesaving Station (a cluster of cottages on the south shore) are now owned by American Youth Hostels, Inc, and are presently used as a Youth Hostel. The former U.S. Lifesaving Station at Surfside is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1932, the Naval Radio Compass building was located on a bluff, along the south side of Nantucket Island, at Surfside, about 2 3/4 miles south of the town of Nantucket, with an adjacent radio wireless tower. By 1955, the radio wireless tower had been torn down. In the 1960s, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard considered seceding from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In 1977, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard actually attempted (unsuccessfully) to secede from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The secession vote was sparked by a proposed change to the Massachusetts Constitution, which reduced the islands' representation in the Massachusetts General Court. Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Nantucket was commissioned on August 1, 1955 and was located at Tom Nevers Field, the southernmost tip of the island, approximately twelve miles from the town of Nantucket, MA. The NAVFAC operated for 21 years and was decommissioned on June 30, 1976. What is today known as the Kennedy Bunker is what's left of the former Navy Base at Tom Nevers Field. From the outside, the bunker is a mound, covered by grass and brush. It became town property after the Navy left Nantucket in 1976 and the town subsequently bought the base's roughly 40 acres of land for $525,000 in 1980. The bunker was built in June, 1962, specifically for President John F. Kennedy, as a hardened facility to protect the President, while he vacationed at his family compound on Cape Cod. Planners looked for a secure facility that would not be a primary target and was only minutes away by helicopter. They found it at the small Naval Facility, twenty-five miles offshore, on the island of Nantucket. The Nantucket Parks and Recreation Department oversees the grounds of the former Navy Base, and has jurisdiction over the Kennedy Bunker, and leases it to the Nantucket Hunting Association; who currently maintains the historic bunker. What's left of the Navy base is today enjoyed by islanders for recreational purposes. The demolition derby is an anticipated annual event, as is the county fair; and the softball and baseball diamonds are used most nights in the summer. The Navy's other buildings have gone over the years, victims of either neglect or erosion, but the Kennedy Bunker remains. Naval Radio Compass Station, Surfside, MA c1932 Navy Direction Finding Station, Surfside, MA c1932 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Surfside, MA =================================================================================== Table Bluff, Humboldt Bay, Eureka, California Table Bluff Lighthouse was located at the south side of the entrance to Humboldt Bay, along California's northern coast, near Eureka, California. The lighthouse was actually the second light to mark Humboldt Bay. The Humboldt Bay North Spit 1856 Lighthouse was constantly threatened by nature, and for many years had been criticized as being too low. It was replaced in 1892. In 1892, the U.S. Lighthouse Service constructed a new light station on Table Bluff, a promontory south of Humboldt Bay, but within-view of the bay. The light was relocated from the Humboldt Harbor Lighthouse to Table Bluff. Although only standing a squat 35 feet tall, the light was visible up to 20 miles away, thanks to its fourth order lens and the elevation of the bluff, 190 foot above the bay. The original station was first lit in 1892, and consisted of a duplex Victorian quarters, fog-signal building, and a keepers quarters, with light tower attached. The quarters were redwood Italianette-stick Victorian. The keepers quarters and light tower were almost exactly the same as San Luis Obispo Light Station. There were also two wash houses, an oil house and a carpenter shop. In 1906, the U.S. Navy established a Radio Station on the property, and during World War II the station was expanded to include lodging for mounted beach patrols, a coastal lookout post, and a U.S. Naval Radio Compass Station. During the war, and immediately afterwards, most of the original buildings were razed along with some of the newer structures. The quarters portion of the lighthouse was razed leaving only the lighthouse tower. The tower and the fog signal building were all that remained of the original buildings. In 1953, the rotating fourth order Fresnel lens was removed and a fixed three 1/2 order Fresnel lens was installed. The fourth order optic was shipped to the Point Loma Light in San Diego, which is operated as a museum by the National Park Service. The fog signal was discontinued in 1953, and the station was also automated in 1953, one of the first lighthouses to be automated. The Table Bluff Light was deactivated in 1961 In 1975, the Lighthouse Station was discontinued and was abandoned. The property transferred to the GSA and sold. The three 1/2 order Fresnel lens was shipped to the Smithsonian. The private party the lighthouse was sold to left it in a state of neglect. A group of volunteers came forward with a plan to save it. The lighthouse tower was cut into two pieces, and shipped to Woodley Island Marina in Eureka, in 1987, and erected at the Havasu Landing Marina Entrance. The lens currently installed in the tower on display, is not the original lens. Navy Direction Finding Station, Table Bluff, CA c1932 1945 Naval Radio Compass Station, Table Bluff, CA 1942 1945 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Table Bluff, CA 1906 1945 =================================================================================== Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands The Gilbert Islands are a chain of 16 atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean, main part of the nation Kiribati ("Kiribati" is the rendition of "Gilberts" in the Kiribati language). The atolls and islands are arranged in an approximate north-to- south line. In official north-south order, they are: Makin, Butaritari, Marakei, Abaiang, Tarawa, Maiana, Abemama, Kuria, Aranuka, Nonouti, Tabiteuea, Beru, Nikunau, Onotoa, Tamana and Arorae. Tarawa, a triangular-shaped atoll, is composed of a series of islands in a reef, covering 22 miles in length. The enclosed lagoon, about 17 miles long and tapering from 9 miles to less than a mile in width, is open to the west, though partially barred by a section of the submerged reef. Betio, lying at the southwest corner of the Tarawa atoll, measures roughly 2¼ miles in length by less than half a mile in width. The reefs of Tarawa average 500 yards in width, the outer reef being about 2 feet higher than the lagoon reef. Prior to the Gilberts' discovery by Europeans, the islands had been inhabited by Micronesians for several millennia. The first such parties were 1788 Captain Thomas Gilbert in the Charlotte and Captain John Marshall in the Scarborough. Messrs. Gilbert and Marshall crossed through Abemama, Kuria, Aranuka, Tarawa, Abaiang, Butaritari, and Makin without attempting to land on shore. In the years that followed, many ships ran across the little islands and atolls of the Gilberts in the course of their travels in the central Pacific. Further exploration In 1820, the islands were named îles Gilbert (in French) by von Krusenstern, an Estonian admiral of the Czar after the British captain, Thomas Gilbert, together with the neighbouring îles Marshall. Two ships of the U.S. Exploring Expedition, Peacock and Flying Fish, under the command of Captain Hudson, visited many of the Gilbert Islands (then Kingsmill Islands). A British protectorate was first proclaimed over the Gilberts by Captain Davis of HMS Royalist on May 27, 1892. In 1915, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands were proclaimed a colony of the British Empire. The natives of the Gilberts are Micronesian, similar in many respects to the natives of the Marshalls, the Carolines, and the Marianas. At the time of the Japanese invasion they were a self-governing people, with their tribal consciousness undisturbed by the British system of colony government and administration. Loyal to the British, the Gilbertese looked with dissatisfaction upon the prospects of coming under the rule of the Japanese. During their stay in the Gilberts, the Japanese did nothing to change the opinion of the Gilbertese on this score. When war came in December 1941, the Japanese occupied Makin Atoll immediately and raided Tarawa. In February, 1942, the British evacuated most of their people from Tarawa, except for missionaries who elected to remain, and coast watchers. On August 17, 1942, 221 U.S. Marines of the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion were landed on Makin from two submarines. The raid was intended by the Americans to confuse the Japanese about U.S. intentions in the Pacific. However, it had the effect of alerting the Japanese to the strategic importance of the Gilbert Islands and led to their reinforcement and fortification. Tarawa and Abemama were occupied in force by the Japanese in September, 1942 and during the next year garrisons were built up on Betio (Tarawa Atoll), and Butaritari (Makin Atoll). Only nominal forces were placed on other islands in the Gilberts. On November 20, 1943, the U.S. 2nd Marine Division invaded, in the battles of Makin and Tarawa. The assault on Tarawa on November 20, 1943, was bitterly contested. Heavily fortified, and garrisoned by several thousand Japanese troops on Betio, the principal island of the atoll, it had been attacked repeatedly from the air for weeks preceding the assault, and on the previous day had been heavily bombarded by surface craft. Although these attacks silenced the Japanese heavy guns, wrecked everything above ground, and killed approximately half the enemy troops, many dugouts, pillboxes, and bomb-proof shelters were still intact or usable. The enemy was able to concentrate his forces beside the only beach where a landing was possible and in spite of air and surface fire support, U.S. casualties were heavy. The assault lasted nearly four days, at the end of which time the island was considered secure, although subjected to air raids and isolated sniper action. Unforeseen wind and tide conditions uncovered the inner reef to such an extent tht it became impassable to assault craft after the landing of the first wave. Ensuing waves were then forced to lie to under heavy fire or disembark their troops at a distance from the beach, in water so deep that wading ashore was extremely difficult. Heavy casualties and the loss of invaluable time resulted. The first echelons of the construction battalions scheduled for Tarawa, the 74th and 98th, arrived in the lagoon November 24, 1943, D-plus-4, and advance reconnaissance went ashore as soon as the islands were declared secure. The 74th immediately began unloading LST’s on Betio. On November 27, a pontoon barge, which had been assembled on the ship, brought the first of the 98th’s equipment to the beach. This equipment was used in the construction of a causeway to facilitate the unloading of the small boats and barges, and the work of clearing the fighter and bomber runways was started the next day. By the 29th the entire battalion personnel was ashore except for a crew of 70, left aboard ship for stevedoring purposes. A temporary camp was established near the beach, and by December 8, the galley was able to serve the first hot meal. The permanent camp was begun on the other side of the island, but work was retarded through lack of manpower, all available hands being used to expedite completion of the airstrip. On December 4, 1943 the second echelon arrived to relieve the manpower shortage, and work on the camp went ahead. The early completion of an operational strip was the primary objective. By December 18th, 1943, or 20 days after work was started, a 4000-foot fighter strip on the eastern end of the bomber strip was usable, and two days later the first planes arrived. Despite interruptions by enemy air raids, work progressed on the two strips. The taxiways and runways were surfaced with a 10-inch compacted layer of coral, mined from the lagoon below the level of high tide. In order to attain a more durable wearing surface, a coarse grade of coral, approximately one and a half inches in diameter, was worked into the top six inches of the original layer, providing an excellent runway surface. The completed bomber strip was 7,050 feet long with a surfaced width of 200 feet, and had 27 hardstands. The fighter strip was 4,000 feet by 150 feet and had 18 hardstands. More than 6,000 feet of taxiways were built, leading to an additional 25 hardstands. Besides the landing fields and their own camp, the 98th built all the necessary housing and living facilities for 1,300 men of the unit which operated the field, a 100-bed quonset-type hospital, ammunition and bomb storage, a control tower, an aviation-gasoline tank farm of 500,000-gallon capacity and ready tank storage of 20,000 gallons. They also moved 30,000 cubic yards of coral fill in the construction of a 2,200-foot causeway at the western end of the landing field. When the 74th Battalion went ashore at Betio, by far the most heavily defended island in the atoll, organized resistance had ceased, although many snipers were at large, and groups of Japanese were barricaded in underground shelters and in block- houses. The greatest obstacle to be overcome was the condition of the island. As a base, it had been wrecked. Chaos, ruins, a litter of corpses and decaying food dumps extended over the entire 285 acres. Flies and mosquitoes, with ideal breeding conditions, existed in countless swarms; all water sources were brackish and polluted, with only salt water available for washing purposes. The menace to health was immediate and alarming, and it was little short of miraculous that no epidemic broke out, although dengue and dysentery appeared. The battalion lost no time in correcting these conditions. Although no casualties were suffered by Seabee personnel, there was air raid damage to installations, stores, and equipment. Vehicles were burned or destroyed; others were perforated by bomb fragments, which also did considerable damage to tents; and heavy tire damage was caused, not only by the actual explosion of bombs, but by sharp fragments which littered roadways and the strip. Literally every square foot of the island had to be cleaned, cleared and graded in order to begin with the installations and improvements. The necessity of unloading supplies on the tidal flat required a disproportionate number of men and created serious maintenance problems due to the exposure of equipment to the corrosive effect of sea-water and to damage from coral entering working part. Carryalls and tractors were similarly damaged when removing coral from the reef. All grading and excavating work was rendered hazardous by buried mines and unexploded shells, as well unpleasant by the decomposed bodies frequently uncovered. In the latter connection, Seabees were used extensively as burying details for both enemy and American dead. Almost as soon as heavy equipment was ashore, the 74th went to work on the enemy airstrip. The existing installations consisted of an air base with all necessary appurtenances. The strip was 4,400 by 150 feet, surfaced with coral concrete of an average thickness of two inches, underlaid with a poorly compacted coral fill. It was relatively undamaged by the bombardment and assault, and temporary repairs made it possible for a squadron of fighters to land fifteen hours after the first Seabees went shore, and to operate continuously thereafter. Six days later, six medium bombers landed and commenced patrol operations. The wheel loads of these planes proved so much greater than those of Japanese aircraft that the concrete strip surface began to fail rapidly and way condemned. It was removed and replaced, ahlf the width at a time, continoues flight operations being maintained on the remaining half, and on December 17, 1943, twelve B-24’s were staged through the field. Existing hardstands and taxiways were used and were later enlarged and augmented. When the strip was completed, it was 6,600 by 400 feet, and totally coral surfaced. The original schedule planned the strip to be operational for B-24’s by D-plus-45; the 74th bettered this date by 18 days. Additional work of the 74th included housing and messing facilities for aviators and ground crews, and a tank farm of twelve 1,000-barrel tanks with two ready-gas stations, 7,200 feet of buried pipe-line, and 4,500 feet of submarine line for the handling of aviation gasoline. One of the larger Japanese bomb shelters was cleaned and renovated for use by the Medical Corps as an operating room and as shelter for patients during air raids. In addition to high-priority jobs, other important construction and maintenance work was subsequently carried out. Surveyors, who had preceded the construction gangs under hazardous conditions, located important sites on Betio and the adjacent islansd and made maps of them. Communications, power and light, and refrigeration facilities were built, together with all construction necessary for base operation. After adequate living quarters were set up, they were improved by additions necessary for morale, such as a post office, theatre, and ship’s service. Stevedoring work was aided by native labor, which had been returned to the island and which proved most satisfactory. Considerable work was done in converting enemy equipment as well as salvaging worn-out and damaged equipment. A small but effective detail was assigned to diving and salvage. This group recovered equipment and removed obstacles from the ocean floor and on several occasions examined and reported on hull damage to ships. Another group carried out extensive demolition work ashore. A U.S. Navy Direction Finding Station was set up on Tarawa Atoll by December 13, 1943 and operated until closed on November 27, 1944. The Gilbert Islands were used to support the invasion of the Marshall Islands in February, 1944. The Seabees worked in close and friendly cooperation with the occupying force of Marines, each making use of the others’ equipment and facilities until the departure of the 74th on March 1, 1944. The Gilbert and Ellice Islands became autonomous in 1971. From 1976 to 1978, the Ellices were separated, and the Gilberts became the Gilbert Islands colony. In 1979, the Gilberts opted for independence, becoming the independent nation of Kiribati. Navy Direction Finding Station, Tarawa Atoll, 13 Dec 1943 27 Nov 1944 Gilbert Islands Moved to Iwo Jima Apr 1945 =================================================================================== Tatoosh Island, Washington Tatoosh Island is an island about one half mile off Cape Flattery, on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. In reality there is a small group of islands, of which Tatoosh is the largest. The islands are part of the Makah Reservation, and a part of Clallam County. Tatoosh Island is a 20-acre island, about 0.2 mile in diameter. The island is an extension of the Cape Flattery promontory, connected to it by submarine rock ledges. Treeless, but carpeted in green, the island rises abruptly from the sea to a height of about 100 feet. The island consists of relatively flat terrain surrounded by nearly vertical cliffs that drop to sea level along the outskirts of the island. The cliffs range in height from 50 to 100 feet. Smaller islets, rocks, and reefs surround the main island. A small beach is located at the base of the cliffs in a cove along the northern portion of the island. The total land area of the island group is 39.5 acres. There is currently no resident population on the islands. The Makah Indians used Tatoosh as a summer village site, with several hundred tribal members living there from March through August. They ventured out from its shores to hunt whales and other sea mammals, and to take halibut and other fish. James G. Swan (1818-1900), a nineteenth century ethnographer who lived among the Makah for three years, recorded the Makah's name for the island as Chadi. The island has had various other names. Spanish explorers called it Isla de Punto de Martinez for Juan Jose Martinez, second-in-command and navigator on Juan Perez’s ship Santiago, which traversed this coast in 1774. English fur trader Charles Duncan labeled it Green Island in 1788. However, the name of the Makah chief Tatoosh, as understood by later English explorers, became customary usage for the rocky feature. English fur trader John Meares (1756?-1809) in the Felice arrived at the island on June 30, 1788, and met the Chief Tatoosh of that era. "Canoes came out from the island with twenty or thirty men in each, who looked very savage, with painted faces and sea otter cloaks. They were armed with bows and arrows with barbed bone points and large spears pointed with mussel shell. The group included the chief, Tatooche, whose face was painted black and glittered with sand". Meares and party erected the necessary buildings for living quarters and construction of a ship, all of which, they were careful to fortify with cannon. Meares, who had named the entrance to Puget Sound after its original discoverer, John or Juan de Fuca, recorded the island as Tatooche or Tatoosh Island on his charts. Nineteenth century American settlers believed that the Makah gave up their rights to Tatoosh Island and all of their other traditional lands, except for a small reservation at Neah Bay, in 1855, in return for a $30,000 payment by the federal government. The Makah apparently did not see it that way. This may have been because in their treaty with the government, negotiated by Washington Governor Isaac Stevens in 1855, they retained rights to traditional fishing and hunting grounds. Although the area’s Native Americans, explorers such as Cook, and fur traders navigated the strait prior to the nineteenth century, by the mid-1800s increased maritime traffic led to demands for navigation aids that would lessen its dangers. In 1850, the U.S. Coast Survey investigated the Oregon and Washington coastlines. Its investigators recommended placing a lighthouse on Tatoosh Island, off Cape Flattery on the southern side of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Placing a light there would, the surveyors said, allow vessels to enter the strait at night. It would also assist them in reaching safe harbor at Neah Bay, about four miles inside the entrance. Construction on the Cape Flattery Lighthouse began sometime between 1856 and 1857, by the U.S. Lighthouse Service, an agency under the Bureau of Lighthouses, within the Department of Commerce. Congress did not establish a lighthouse reservation on the island until June 8, 1866. The Makah Indians from the Canadian side of the Strait, used the island as a fishing and whaling station. The Makah resented the building and interfered with the work, so the builders, armed with 20 muskets, built a blockhouse before starting on the lighthouse. On December 28, 1857, the Cape Flattery Lighthouse on Tatoosh Island began operation. Built on a 20-acre bean-shaped rock at the north western-most point of the continental United States, Cape Flattery Lighthouse was the first of an evolving series of navigation aids on the island that assisted mariners in entering the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The lighthouse consisted of a Cape Cod-style sandstone dwelling with two-foot-thick walls. The kitchen, parlor, and dining room were on the first floor. Four sleeping rooms were in the half-story above. A 65-foot brick lighthouse tower rose from the center of the dwelling. In 1883, the U.S. Army Signal Corps established a Weather Station on the island. In 1891, the U.S. Army Signal Corps' weather service duties were transferred to the Department of Agriculture, in an act of Congress that formed the Weather Bureau. In 1940, the Weather Bureau was transferred to the Department of Commerce. With a break in service only between 1898 and 1902, the Weather Station on Tatoosh Island operated continuously until 1966. When the Weather Bureau reactivated the Tatoosh Weather Station in 1902, buildings of its own, with full time officials, were established on the island. By 1883, a telegraph line described as the longest hung cable in the world, stretched from the island to the mainland and connected Tatoosh with Neah Bay. When shipwrecks had to be reported, it connected the lighthouse with a U.S. Lifesaving Station, established at Neah Bay. When the Weather Station closed in 1966, several of the Weather Station's out-buildings were demolished. The main Weather Station building was reportedly demolished by U.S. Navy SEALs during a training exercise in the late 1960s. The Weather Bureau's responsibilities were transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard. The original U.S. Lifesaving Station Neah Bay was established on the Makah Indian Reservation, on land reserved to the Department of Interior, on Waaddah Island in 1908. Two years later, in 1910, it was moved to the mainland after large waves from the Pacific had destroyed its boat rails. The station had to retreat again after the storm of December 2, 1967, that badly damaged one rescue boat and swept away parts of the walkway leading to the moorings. The new station, 920 feet west, on less vulnerable land, was operational in 1972. Coast Guard Station Neah Bay is located at Baaddah Point near the Indian village of Neah Bay, at Waaddah Island. By 1908, a U.S. Naval Radio Station began operating from Tatoosh Island. Its low- powered signals could transmit and receive ship-to-shore traffic and distances of up to 1,000 miles. NAVRADSTA Tatoosh relayed messages from more distant destinations, to high-powered Naval facilities in Puget Sound for retransmission. The radio service also enabled reports from the island of maritime casualties, derelicts, overdue vessels, and vessel movements. Several structures were built on the island when the Navy operated the radio station. These structures included a large radio mast, wood-framed living quarters, a concrete power building, aboveground storage tanks, a supply tramway, and concrete water storage cisterns. Several of these structures, including the concrete power building and the concrete water storage cisterns, are still present at the site. Congress reinforced the island’s Naval presence in 1912, by specifying that at key strategic points such as Key West, Florida; San Juan, Puerto Rico; North Head and Tatoosh Island, Washington; and San Diego, California; commercial messages would be handled entirely by Naval stations. After radio direction finding techniques were developed during World War I (1914-1918), Tatoosh Island facilities added this capability in 1919, and also began to broadcast a radio compass beacon. In 1939, responsibility for the lighthouse changed hands when the Bureau of Lighthouses was transferred to the authority of the U.S. Coast Guard. Twelve families lived on Tatoosh Island in 1939. In addition to serving coastal and transoceanic shipping, the island’s lighthouse and other navigational aids also assisted a growing fleet of small fishing vessels. World War II (1941-1945) brought the next major changes to Tatoosh Island. More Naval communications personnel arrived. They set up a Strategic Radio HFDF and Intercept Station, that searched the airwaves for radio signals of the Japanese Army and Navy. The focus of the radio direction finding effort shifted from assisting navigators to tracking enemy ships. Marines arrived to guard the NAVRADSTA the Weather Station and the lighthouse. The Naval Radio Station at Tatoosh Island was closed after World War II, and the U.S. Coast Guard took over the lease and operation of the radio station. WWII brought to the island another navigational aid, LORAN (LOng RAnge Navigation), which continues to operate. Developed during the war to aid aerial navigation, the service was quickly adapted to assist mariners. Loran receivers, mounted on most ships and on many smaller craft in the postwar years, measure the time difference in receipt of synchronized electromagnetic wave transmissions from two or more transmitting stations, providing yet another means of fixing a vessel’s position. In 1977, Tatoosh Island (along with Waadah Island) was returned to the Makah Tribe as part of the settlement of a claim filed by the Tribe with the Indian Claims Commission. The claim was for lands ceded by the Tribe, under the 1855 Treaty, and for deprivation of fishing and hunting rights guaranteed under Article 1 of the Treaty. The land used for the lighthouse is currently leased from the Tribe by the Federal government. In the late twentieth century, Tatoosh Island retained its nineteenth-century lighthouse, its early twentieth-century radio beacon, and its mid-twentieth-century LORAN transmitter. In 1977, all, including the lighthouse, were automated, so that no keepers had to live on the island. In 1996, a small solar-powered optic replaced the fourth-order Fresnel lens installed in 1932, decreasing further the need for maintenance visits. The lighthouse was renovated in 1999. The Makaw Tribe intend to demolish all the buildings remaining on Tatoosh Island, and are conducting environmental restorations (which started in 2005) through 2010. Today, the Makah, who own the island, allow few outsiders to visit. This isolation, and the stretch of rough water separating the island from Cape Flattery, ensures that the environment remains pristine and experiments can run unmolested. By giving scientists access to the island for three decades (1977-2007), the Makah have made possible long-term ecological studies that are vitally important, but rarely possible. Tatoosh is one of the world’s most studied marine environments, and one of the most famous field sites in all of ecology. U.S. Navy Direction Finding Station, Tatoosh Island, WA 1919 May 1942 U.S. Navy Strategic Radio High Frequency Direction May 1942 Post WWII Finding and Intercept Station, Tatoosh Island, WA at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Tatoosh Island, WA 1908 Post WWII =================================================================================== Thatcher Island, Rockport, Massachusetts Thatcher Island, a rocky, 50 acre island, is located about a mile offshore of Rockport, Massachusetts, about two miles from Gloucester Harbor, and about 30 miles north of Boston. Thatcher’s Island was named for the Rev. Anthony Thatcher an Englishman who, on the night of August 14, 1635, was shipwrecked there. Of the 21 persons on board, including his 4 children, only the minister and his wife were saved. The General Court awarded Anthony Thatcher the island "at the head of Cape Ann" to recompense him for his losses, and he originally dubbed the island "Thacher's Woe." The island remained in the Thatcher family for 80 years. It eventually was bought back by the Massachusetts colonial government at a cost of 500 pounds, for the purpose of establishing a light station. Rockport is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, USA. The population was 7,767 at the 2000 census. Rockport is located approximately 35 miles northeast of Boston at the tip of the Cape Ann peninsula. It is directly east of Gloucester, Massachusetts and surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic Ocean. Before the coming of the English explorers and colonists, Cape Ann was home to a number of Native American villages, inhabited by members of the Agawam tribe. Samuel de Champlain named the peninsula "Cap Aux Isles" in 1605, and his expedition may have landed there briefly. Capt. John Smith visited in 1614. By the time the first Europeans founded a permanent settlement at Gloucester in 1623, most of the Agawams had been killed by diseases caught from early contacts with Europeans. The area that is now Rockport was simply an uninhabited part of Gloucester for more than 100 years, and was primarily used as a source of timber, especially pine for shipbuilding. The area around Cape Ann was also one of the best fishing grounds in New England. In 1743. a dock was built at Rockport harbor on Sandy Bay and was used for both timber and fishing. By the beginning of the 19th century, the first granite quarries were developed, and by the 1830s, Rockport granite was being shipped to cities and towns throughout the East Coast of the U.S. Rockport had consisted primarily of large estates, summer homes, and a small fishing village, while Gloucester was becoming increasingly urbanized. Rockport was set off as a separate town in 1840, as its residents desired a separate enclave with an identity of its own. As the demand for its high-grade granite grew during the Industrial Revolution, the quarries of Rockport became a major source of the stone. A distinctive form of sloop was even developed to transport the granite to parts far and wide until the second decade of the 20th century. For many years, there were a large number of residents of Scandinavian descent, dating from the days when Finns and Swedes with stoneworking expertise made up a large part of the workforce at the quarries. Cape Ann Light Station, also known as Thatcher Island Twin Lights is located in the Twin Lights Historic District, a National Historic Landmark, on the north and southeast sides of Thatcher Island. In 1771, there were nine lighthouses in operation in North America. North of Cape Cod there were only three, at Boston, Plymouth and Portsmouth Harbors. All of the lighthouses built to that point by the colonial governments, were built to mark the entrances to ports. The petition asking for the lighthouses on Thatcher Island was presented to the General Court by John Hancock, who owned ships on Cape Ann. On April 22, 1771, the Province of Massachusetts Bay Council authorized the erection of twin lighthouses on Thatcher’s Island. The Cape Ann lighthouse station on Thatcher Island was established in 1771. The two 45-foot stone towers, about 300 yards apart, were lighted for the first time on December 21, 1771. The twin lighthouses built on Thatcher Island in 1771, were the first built to mark a dangerous spot (the Londoner Ledge southeast of Thatcher Island) rather than a harbor entrance. They were also the last lighthouses built under British rule in the colonies. The twin lights soon gained the nickname "Ann's Eyes." The first keeper was appointed on December 21, 1771, but, being a Tory, was removed from the island by the Minute Men during the early days of the Revolution. The lights remained dark troughout the Revolutionary War. The lighthouses were among those turned over to the Federal Government under the act of August 7, 1789, and were first relit in 1793. The pay for the keepers was $400 yearly, but this was reduced to "266 2/3 dollars" by order of President Washington. This was presumably because Thacher Island was thought to be an advantageous place to live, with cattle and a vegetable garden to provide food. In 1810, the south tower became the scene of a test of new lighting apparatus designed by Winslow Lewis of Boston, a system of multiple Argand oil lamps and parabolic reflectors. In 1812, Lewis was contracted to outfit all American lighthouses with his apparatus. A new one-story brick dwelling was built on Thacher Island in 1816, at a cost of $1,415. This house still stands with many modifications, including the addition of a second story. Winslow Lewis returned to Thacher Island in 1841 when he repaired and refitted the lanterns on both towers. New lamps and reflectors were installed in each lighthouse. In 1840, a new two-story wooden dwelling was built. The old "stone house" was used as a schoolroom and storehouse. in 1853, a fog bell was installed. In 1859, Congress authorized the rebuilding of the two lighthouse towers and two new 124 foot towers, which are the tallest lighthouses in Massachusetts, made of cut granite, were built in 1860-61. A new wood-frame keeper's dwelling was built near the north tower. The twin lighthouses were fitted with enormous first order Fresnel lenses, which cost $10,000 each. The new towers were first illuminated on October 1, 1861. Each tower is accessed through an enclosed brick passageway located on the west side of the tower's base, and contains a circular staircase (155 stairs) leading from the base to the lantern. The still-standing wood frame principal keeper's house near the south tower was built in 1876. In the late 1800s, a railroad was installed, and it was gradually extended until by 1900 it was over 500 feet. The railroad was used to bring fuel and supplies to the various buildings. In the name of national defense, a tele- phone line was installed in 1902, connecting Thacher Island to the mainland at Rockport. The government first proposed the discontinuance of the north light in 1912. The north tower remained standing for another 20 years, but in 1932 the north light was extinguished, and the light on the northern tower was discontinued. The north tower's original Fresnel lens no longer exists. The light in the southeast tower was electrified by means of a 6,000-foot submarine cable to the mainland (laid in 1902), which was intensified to 70,000 candlepower, which is visible for 19 miles. An air diaphone fog signal was also located at the station. On May 3, 1932, it was reported that the newly intensified south light was seen from a distance of 44 miles, an unusually high distance for any lighthouse. On September 15, 1924, the Naval Radio Station, with co-located Navy Direction Finding Site, at Gloucester, MA was disestablished and functions were transferred to the Navy Direction Finding Station, at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Thatcher Island, MA. In 1948, after the Coast Guard had taken over at Thatcher Island, a crew came out to demolish an old Navy watch station on the island. They left after burning the structure down, but smoldering embers started a fire that quickly spread. The families feared that the fire would reach the fog signal station, where it could ignite an explosion, because of the compressed steam. A squad of firemen and Coast Guard from the mainland were needed to help extinguish the flames, and disaster was narrowly averted. The south light and the fog signal were automated in 1980, and the Coast Guard moved off the island. The first order Fresnel lens was removed from the south tower, and is now on display at the Coast Guard Academy Museum in New London, Connecticut. Caretakers were hired to care for the station and property. In 1989, the north light was restored and opened to visitors, offering a panoramic view of the area. The north light has since been relit as a private aid to navigation. Its amber light once again makes Thatcher Island the only operating twin light station in the U.S. The landing ramp on the island was damaged in 1992, and was repaired in 1994. In the harsh winter of 1995, the boat ramp was completely washed out. In 1998, a new boat ramp was built and completed in the fall of 2000. On January 3, 2001, the Cape Ann Light Station on Thatcher Island was designated as a National Historic Landmark. The Town of Rockport's Thatcher Island Committee, in partnership with the Thatcher Island Association, now maintains and operates the island, under lease agreements with the Coast Guard and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The south tower and southeastern portion of the island (approximately 28 acres) was deeded to the Town of Rockport by the U.S. Coast Guard. The north tower and northern end of the island (approximately 22 acres) is owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and managed by the Town of Rockport as a wildlife refuge. The Coast Guard will soon be transferring its part of the island to the Town of Rockport. The town is taking over responsibility for the maintenance of the south tower, as well as the continued maintenance of the north tower. The Coast Guard currently maintains the solar-powered light in the south tower of the Cape Ann lighthouse, which is an operational U.S. Coast Guard Active Aid to Navigation. Navy Direction Finding Station, Thatcher Island, MA 15 Sep 1924 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Thatcher Island, MA =================================================================================== Thunder Bay Island, off Alpena, Lower Peninsula, Michigan Thunder Bay Island is a 215-acre island in Lake Huron. The island is one of eight constituent islands of the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The island is part of Alpena County. It marks the entrance to Thunder Bay, the harbor of Alpena, Michigan. Today, the island is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, as a wildlife refuge, and is the location of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Thunder Bay Island sits just three miles east-northeast of the north point of Thunder Bay, and thirteen miles from the harbor at Alpena. This 215-acre limestone island is the outermost of a group of islands connected to the shore by a shallow rocky shoal. As such, it represented both a significant marker for northbound vessels making the turn toward the straits, and stood ready to chew the wooden hulls of vessels unlucky enough to stray too close to its rocky shores. The Thunder Bay Island lighthouse is the second oldest lighthouse still standing on Lake Huron. Thunder Bay Island is the outer island of the Thunder Bay Island Group, which also includes Sugar and Gull Islands. Sugar and Gull Islands have no buildings that remain standing. By the early 19th century, the trapping of beaver by Native Americans and Europeans had reached virtually every corner of what is now the State of Michigan. Animals usually were trapped by Native Americans, who exchanged the furs for manufactured goods at trading posts such as Mackinaw. American traders sent the furs down Lake Huron in canoes and later in sailing vessels to warehouses in Detroit. The furs were then shipped to Europe via Montreal or New York. The American Fur Company and the Northwest Fur Company had profitable buisnesses in furs during the early 19th century, but by the 1830s the supply of animal pelts was reduced drastically by over-trapping. The two companies then diversified their trade by branching into commercial fishing. The Thunder Bay region was purchased from Native Americans by the federal government in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. Although some land was used as a reservation area, European settlement soon pushed Native American villages inland to Mikado and Hubbard Lake. By the 1850s, the Alpena area became a center for fur trading, fishing, and lumbering. Settlers bound for Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and northern Illinois often arrived by way of the lakes. The majority were foreign immigrants, who came to the lakes via Canada or the American East Coast. Both routes involved departure from Europe by ship. The Canadian route involved landing at Montreal or Quebec and traveling by canal, river, road, or later railroad to Lake Ontario. Passage on a vessel from Kingston then moved the travellers to the head of Lake Ontario, where they would portage around Niagara Falls or, after 1829, go through the Welland Canal and on to their destination. The American route meant landing at New York or another large northeast port before heading west via roads, inland waterways, or railroads. The immigrants would normally reach the lakes at Buffalo, Oswego, or Rochester and take passage on a vessel heading to the desired destination. This process on either route might require any number of changes of vessel. In August of 1836, 1,500 people per week were disembarking at Toledo on their way west. As immigrants entered the Great Lakes region, thousands of acres of land were brought into cultivation. Canal networks connected western farmers with eastern markets beginning with the Erie Canal in 1825 and the Welland Canal in 1829, both of which triggered a substantial increase in the trade of bulk agricultural products. The king of Great Lakes agriculture was grain, especially wheat, corn, and oats. Other agricultural products shipped via the lakes included virtually every kind of fruit and vegetable that could be grown locally. Agricultural products also included distilled spirits made from corn, wheat, and barley, and animal products like grain-fed beef, pork, and mutton that resulted directly from the production of staple grains in the region. Compared to the volume carried by vessels in the grain trade, the shipment of these other products declined after the canals and railroads connected the east with the west. W.F. Cullings, who is believed to be the first white resident of the Thunder Bay region, began a fishing camp on Thunder Bay Island in 1835. Some evidence suggests that Cullings was an employee of the American Fur Company and had established himself on the island on the company's account rather than his own, but this is unclear. Later, a few buildings were constructed on the present site of the City of Alpena by hunters from Mackinaw; Walter Scott erected a fishhouse and trading post near these buildings. Lumbering was Thunder Bay's first extensive local industry. From 1836 through 1921, the Thunder Bay region was a major center of the lumber trade, shipping the products of local mills to markets all over the eastern U.S. and Canada aboard hundreds of sail, steam, and motor-driven craft. In addition, beginning in about 1845, Thunder Bay Island was a "wooding" or fueling station for steamers bound between Detroit and Mackinaw. In the early decades of the nineteenth century, the Great Lakes and their tributary waterways flowed through areas densely covered with virgin timber. This timber became a primary resource for both regional and national building materials, industry, and fuel. Timber harvesting began along the shores of the southern-most lakes - Ontario, Erie, and Michigan - during the first five decades of the nineteenth century as new cities were built at strategic locations. Eventually, the demand for lumber exhausted local supplies. By the 1840s, cities like Cleveland, Buffalo, Toronto, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Detroit were importing wood products both for local use and for transshipment to the east and west. This process was accelerated by the great Chicago fire of 1871 and the resulting need to rebuild one of America's leading cities. During the 1830s and 1840s, a commodity market in barrelled fish arose on Lake Huron. Squatters came to the Federally-owned island attracted by the abundant fishing in the surrounding waters. The fresh-caught fish was quickly brought to a fishing station after being caught, and salted for preservation. A fishing station sprouted on Thunder Bay Island in 1835 and in 1846, became the first store in Alpena County. An 1846 gazetteer counted 160 settlers on the island and 31 fishing boats that called the island their home port. Most of these fishing boats were small Mackinaw boats. Thunder Bay Island and Sugar Island were used extensively for fishing operations. The squatters were eventually forced to leave the island and they moved to nearby Sugar Island where they continued to thrive for many years. In 1846, Presque Isle and Thunder Bay fishing operations exported a total of 12,000 barrels of fish, equaling over 15% of the American and Canadian commercial fisheries of Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior. After a few decades the yield of Lake Huron fish declined. Lumbering, settlement, and port development all impacted the nearshore fisheries. River drives during the lumbering era damaged the river bottom; waste cuttings and sawdust covered the bottom and caused deoxygenation through decay processes. The draining of swamps, filling of shoreline areas, and dredging of navigation channels further diminished the nearshore aquatic habitat. By 1886, fish stocks in the area may have decreased by two-thirds, as witnessed by Williams, Plough, and Campbell, all of whom operated fisheries between Whitefish Point and North Point. Based on information collected between 1919 and 1926, Thunder Bay was second only to Saginaw Bay in American fish production on Lake Huron. Gillnets were first used on Lake Huron at Alpena around 1835, and chub were first harvested there in 1902. Captain A.E. Persons asserted that he introduced the steam tug to the Great Lakes fisheries in 1875 at Alpena and revolutionized the entire industry. Fish harvested by firms with camps on the north shore of Thunder Bay, as well as at Crooked Island, Sugar Island, and Ossineke, were shipped to Detroit, Buffalo, or New York City. Commercial ice houses in Alpena shipped ice to Detroit, Toledo, and Cleveland. This industry was closely tied to commercial fishing, because local firms such as the Alpena Fish Company used ice from the Thunder Bay River to preserve fish. Today, the primary groups using the Lake Huron fisheries are recreational anglers, Native American commercial fishers, and state licensed commercial fishers. The popularity of recreational fishing increased after the collapse of commercial fish stocks by the late 1940s. Opportunities for recreational fishing expanded in the late 1960s, with the introduction of salmon in the Great Lakes. Congress instructed the Commerce Committee to conduct an investigation into the need and feasibility of the construction of a lighthouse on Thunder Bay Island on January 6, 1831. Congress appropriated the necessary funds for Lake Huron's third lighthouse, later that same year. A site for the station was selected on flat ground approximately 1,200 feet from the southeastern point of the island, and bids were advertised for its construction. The contract was awarded to a Detroit builder. Costs were kept as low through the use of construction material found at the site. With a ready supply of limestone on the island, limestone rubble was used extensively throughout the construction. During 1831, a forty foot tall tower and detached 1½-story keeper's dwelling was built. The tower stood 21 feet in diameter at the base, and tapered to a diameter of 11 feet, 4 inches at the top, and was capped with a birdcage-style lantern. The station's first keeper was assigned on February 1, 1832, and the lighthouse was lit for the first time later that spring. The original tower collapsed sometime before November 15, 1838. $800 was allocated for the construction of stone-filled timber cribs to protect the base of the tower from being undermined and toppling once more. The wooden cribs were successful in stemming the erosion. The area was frequently enveloped in thick fogs and snow squalls, making the light impossible to see. Congress appropriated $2,500 for the installation of a fog bell on the island on March 3, 1853, and on March 3, 1855, the Thunder Bay Island fog signal was placed into service. In 1857, the tower was raised 10 feet, to a height of 50 feet. The interior and exterior of the tower were renovated. Within the new lantern, a fourth order Fresnel lens was installed, and equipped with a clockwork rotating mechanism. This new improved illuminating apparatus provided an increased range of visibility of 14 miles at sea. Over the ensuing years, the condition of the rubble stone dwelling deteriorated badly, and in 1866, the Lighthouse Board recommended an appropriation of $8,000 to replace the structure. Congress appropriated the funds on March 2, 1867, and in 1868, the the old structure was demolished and a new two-story dwelling was built. The dwelling was connected directly to the tower by an enclosed brick passageway, affording the keepers shelter during their frequent trips to the tower. The fog bell installed on the island since 1855 was replaced with duplicate steam whistles in 1870. After a number of shipwrecks in the area, land was conveyed in 1875, and a U.S. Lifesaving station was established 3/8 of a mile west of the lighthouse in 1876. At that time, the Thunder Bay Island community consisted of 21 different government structures. The Lifesaving station's lookout tower was situated on the lake side of the island, not far from the lighthousefog signal building. On January 28, 1915, Congress combined the Revenue Cutter Service and the Lifesaving Service to form the Coast Guard, and the Lifesaving Station on Thunder Bay Island became the U.S. Coast Guard Station. With the improvements in marine navigation, the station was discontinued in 1951. Very little evidence of the Lifesaving station remains, except the base for the lookout tower and a few walkways in the area, formerly occupied by buildings. In 1884, a crew from the Detroit depot constructed a storm house around the door into the keepers dwelling, and built an iron-tracked tramway from the boat landing located a half mile west of the station to the fog signal building, equipped with a small cart. A fierce storm swept across Thunder Bay on November 27, 1889, and huge sweeping waves crashed across the island, carrying away everything that was not permanently attached, including the tramway and cart. A work party was not dispatched to the island to make the necessary repairs until September 20, 1891, at which time they also deepened the station's well and rebuilt the fog signal machinery. In 1906, a work party replaced the old wood framed fog signal building with a new red brick structure. Foreign trade took on a permanent presence around World War I. Foreign vessels were able to visit the Great Lakes with ease after the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 and today represent a substantial part of the shipping traffic on the lakes. Responsibility for the nation's aids to navigation was transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard in 1939, and the civilian keepers were given the option of either maintaining their existing position, transferring into the Coast Guard, or resigning. The station keepers at that time all resigned within a year, and their responsibilities were taken over by Coast Guardsmen. In 1983, the Thunder Bay Island Light was one of the last on the lakes to be automated. After 151 years of service the last keepers departed. The station sat empty for almost fifteen years. The ravages of weather and vandalism did a considerable amount of damage to the station's structures, but they were not completely destroyed. Little evidence remains of the two assistant keeper’s dwellings and a barn that are shown in a 1932 aerial view. These were most likely added about the same time as the fog signal whistles were installed. A former Coast Guard boathouse remains on the east side of the island, but may be deteriorated beyond restoration. The Coast Guard maintains a modern airport beacon optic in the tower and power is provided by a set of solar panels located adjacent to the tower. The Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 19, 1984. In 1997, the Thunder Bay Island Preservation Society signed a 10-year lease with the U.S. Coast Guard, became responsibile for the light station's grounds and buildings. The Society iscurrently restoring the station's buildings. Six lighthouses are located within or near the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Of these six, all but the Old Presque Isle Light continue to serve as navigational aids to commercial and recreational vessels passing through the region. They include the Old Presque Isle Lighthouse, the New Presque Isle Lighthouse, the Middle Island Lighthouse, the Thunder Bay Island Lighthouse, the Alpena Thunder Bay River Lighthouse (Alpena Breakwater Light) and the Sturgeon Point Lighthouse. Navy Direction Finding Station, Thunder Bay Island, MI at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Thunder Bay Island, MI =================================================================================== Tillamook, Oregon The city of Tillamook is the county seat of Tillamook County, Oregon. The city is located on the southeast end of Tillamook Bay, on the northern Pacific Ocean coast of Western Oregon, 74 miles west of Portland. It is named for the Native American Tillamook people, a tribe speaking a Salishan language, who lived in the area until the early nineteenth century. On August 14, 1788, when Captain Robert Gray, an American sailing the sloop "Lady Washington," anchored in Tillamook Bay, thinking he had found the "great river of the West." This was the first landing on the Oregon coast. In its early years, the town of Tillamook, the first community to be settled in the county, bore the names Lincoln and Hoquarten, the latter believed to be an Indian name meaning "the landing." Its name was eventually changed to Tillamook, an Indian word meaning "land of many waters." In 1866, the town of Lincoln was renamed Tillamook in order to stay consistent with the post office's name of Tillamook. The first settler in the vicinity was Joseph Champion, who came in 1851 and made his home in a hollow spruce tree he called his castle. Within months other settlers came, all bachelors. In 1852, the first two families arrived to make their homes. Each successive year brought more families. Tillamook County, the twelfth county in Oregon to be organized, was established on December 15, 1853, when the Territorial Legislature approved an act to create the new county out of an area previously included in Clatsop, Yamhill and Polk Counties. In 1854, the first election was held, the first census taken, the first school started and the keel laid for a community ship: the "Morning Star." The Morning Star was built out of economic necessity because shipwrecks had destroyed all transportation that had carried local dairy products, fish and potatoes to market. The vessel was built by the combined efforts of Tillamook’s settlers. Most of the materials came from the forest, but iron work from a wrecked ship was laboriously packed on horseback from the Clatsop beaches by way of Neahkahnie Mountain. Sails were purchased from the Indians who had salvaged them from a ship wrecked near Netarts. Pitch was used to caulk the craft. Paint was not available. The ship was launched in the Kilchis River on Jan. 5, 1855, and for some years made possible the existence of the pioneers and development of Tillamook County. In 1861, Thomas Stillwell, aged 70, arrived with his family from Yamhill and purchased land. The following year, he laid out the town that would become Tillamook and opened the first store. In 1866, the first post office was opened and the town was permanently renamed Tillamook. An election in 1873 chose Tillamook as the county seat. The first public building was the jail built that same year. Tillamook became an incorporated city in 1891. The first County Courthouse and City Hall were erected in the early 1890s. Today, Tillamook’s City Hall occupies the former Tillamook Post Office, which opened in 1925. and moved to a new facility in 1986. The building is listed on the National Register of Historical Places. Tillamook Rock Light is a lighthouse on the Oregon Coast, located one mile offshore from Tillamook Head. It is visible from Seaside, Cannon Beach and Ecola State Park. Nicknamed "Terrible Tilly" (or Tillie), for its location in the stormy Pacific Ocean, the lighthouse construction was completed on January 21, 1881. "Terrible Tilly" is the nickname given to Tillamook Rock Lighthouse by its earliest keepers, as many of its lonely lightkeepers likened a tour of duty in it, to a prison sentence. Tillamook Rock is among the most desolate and dangerous light stations in the U.S., and reflects the ever-present struggle between sea and shore along the rugged Pacific Northwest Coast. The need for a lighthouse at Tillamook was recognized soon after the acquisition of the Oregon Territory, but it wasn't until 1878 that decisive action was taken. In that year, Congress appropriated $50,000.00 to build a sentinel on lofty Tillamook Head, located on the mainland south of present-day Seaside, Oregon. Engineers cautioned against this, however, since Tillamook's extreme elevation often left it shrouded in clouds and fog. The sheer cliffs of Tillamook Rock drop straight down into the sea, and depths around the site range between 96 feet and 240 feet, and the sea is seldom calm. The structure has attached keeper's quarters and a 62-foot tower that originally housed a first-order fresnel lens, 133 feet above sea level. The light was visible 18 miles out to sea. Storms continually damaged the structure, and once smashed the glass windows in the tower, damaging the lens. The lighthouse was shut down on September 10, 1957, and replaced with a whistle buoy, having become the most expensive U.S. lighthouse to operate. The structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. Sold many times, the former lighthouse is now the "Eternity By the Sea", a private columbarium; which offers mortuary space for those desiring to have their ashes interred on the rock. More than 40,000 niches originally were made available, from the basement, all the way to the top of the lantern. The Rock is now part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Painting of Tillamook Rock Light at the following link . Naval Air Station Tillamook, located just south of Tillamook, was a U.S. Naval Air Station during World War II. It was used primarily to house blimps. It was commissioned on December 1, 1942 and decommissioned in 1948. It was the base of operations for Squadron ZP-33, with a complement of 8 K-ships, and Airship Headquarters Squadron Detachment 33. K-class blimps were used for anti-submarine coast patrol and as convoy escorts. The K-ships were each 252 feet long and filled with 425,000 cubic feet of helium. With a range of 2,000 miles, and an ability to stay aloft for three days, they were well suited for coast patrol and convoy escort duty. Due to rationing during World War II, the two huge blimp hangers that were built at NAS Tillamook were built entirely of wood. Construction began in December, 1942. Hangar B was the first one built and was completed in the spring of 1943. Hangar A was completed in only 30 days. Amazingly, there were no serious injuries or deaths on the whole project. The building housing the aircraft is 1,072 feet long and 296 feet wide, giving it an area of over 7 acres (enough to play six football games). It stands at 192 feet tall. The doors weigh 30 tons each and are 120 feet tall. After World War II, in 1948, when NAS Tillamook was decommissioned, the two hangars were closed and sold. Hangar A was destroyed by a fire in 1992, and only two posts now remain. Hangar B, the surviving blimp hangar is a local landmark, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Hangar B is possibly the largest wooden structure in the world. View photos of the former blimp hanger at the follow link . Since 1994, Hangar B now houses the Tillamook Air Museum, one of the top five privately owned aircraft collections in the nation. The museum features a collection of over 30 combat aircraft. The former NAS Tillamook site, including Hangar B, is currently Tillamook Airport. Tillamook and Yamhill counties also hosted the Mt. Hebo Air Force Station, which played an important part in air defense during the Cold War, from 1956 to 1980. Located south of Tillamook, at the top of 3,154 foot high Mount Hebo, the USAF long- range radar station, operated by the 689th Radar Squadron and the 14th Missile Warning Squadron were essential parts of the nation's integrated air defenses. The facilities at Mt. Hebo AFS included buildings for the radar and communications, barracks for personnel, family housing, a power plant, dining hall, gym, motor pool, and support activities. The radar station was like a small town. The weather at Mount Hebo is often wet, windy, cold, and snowing. The top of Mount Hebo is usually under a few feet of snow during the winter. Three giant Air Force radomes, about 140 feet in diameter and 100 feet high, which protected the radars from adverse weather effects, and could easily be seen silhouetted against the sky from most of Tillamook County; were ultimately destroyed by the elements. Mount Hebo AFS was a vital part of the Air Force Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) computer supported system for air defense. Available electronic equipment was able to support the detection, identification and destruction of enemy aircraft. This was accomplished by communications between the SAGE computer at McChord Air Force Base in Washington, the radars and communications systems at Mount Hebo, and interceptor aircraft such as the supersonic F-106 Delta Dart. The Air Force equipment and facilities at Mount Hebo have been removed and the site returned to its natural state. A plaque is virtually all that remains of the radar station. It is dedicated "In Memory of Those Who Served at Mount Hebo AFS, Oregon. 689th Radar Squadron, October 1956 - June 1979. The Coast Range behind Tillamook was the scene of a repeated series of forest fires called the Tillamook Burn between 1933 and 1951. In 1948, a state ballot approved the sale of bonds to buy the burned-over areas and have the state rehabilitate the lands. The state lands were renamed the Tillamook State Forest by governor Tom McCall on July 18, 1973. By the end of the twentieth century, the replanted growth was considered mature enough to be commercially harvested. The major physical features of Tillamook County consist of the rocky and irregular coastline that forms the county's western boundary, stretches of coastal lowlands, and heavily timbered interior parts, which comprise the main span and several spurs of the Coast Range. Principal industries are agriculture, lumber, fishing, and recreation. Dairy farms dominate the county's fertile valleys providing milk for the well-known Tillamook cheese. Logging and lumbering are becoming a significant economic force due to the reforestation of most of the "Tillamook Burn" area. With seventy-five miles of coastline, four bays, and nine rivers, recreational and tourist facilities are numerous. Navy Direction Finding Site, Tillamook, OR (Proposed) 29 Apr 1944 at Naval Air Station, Tillamook, OR ================================================================================== Toro Point, Panama Canal Zone Fort Sherman is a former U.S. Army base located on Toro Point at the Atlantic (northern) end of the Panama Canal, on the western bank of the Canal directly opposite Colón (which is on the eastern bank). It was the primary defensive base for the Altantic sector of the Canal, and was also the center for U.S. jungle warfare training for some time. It's Pacific-side partner was Fort Amador. Concurrent with the Canal construction a number of defensive locations were developed to protect it, both with coastal defense guns, as well as military bases to defend against a direct infantry assault. Fort Sherman was the primary Atlantic-side infantry base, while Fort Amador protected the Pacific side. Construction of Fort Sherman began in January, 1912 as a phase of the original 1910 defensive plans. Fort Sherman was named by War Department General Order No. 153 dated November 24, 1911, in honor of General William Tecumseh Sherman, a renowned U.S. Civil War commander, who succeeded General U.S. Grant as Commander-in-Chief of the U.S, Army. General Sherman died on February 14, 189I. Construction of the post under the direction of the Department of Engineer began in January, 1912 at Toro Point, the northern tip of land, during construction of the Panama Canal as a phase of the original 1910 fortification plan for that waterway. The point of land was a "natural" in defense planning of the time. The Fort included 23,100 acres of land, about half of which was covered by jungle. The developed areas included housing, barracks for 300, a small airstrip and various recreational areas. Sherman was the site of the first U.S. operationally deployed early warning radar, when an SCR-270 was installed there in 1941. The forested area was used by the U.S. Army South (USARSO) Jungle Operations Training Center (JOTC). JOTC was founded in 1951 to train both U.S. and allied Central American forces in jungle warfare, with an enrolement of about 9,000 a year. The JOTC also taught a 10-day Air Crew Survival Course, open to all branches of service, and a four-week Engineer Jungle Warfare Course. In 1925, the Department of the Navy and the Panama Canal Company (PCC) jointly developed a radio compass station, to provide lines of bearing to commercial and Naval ships approaching the Atlantic terminus of the Panama Canal. The selected site was Toro Point on the approaches to the western breakwater of Limon Bay, then controlled by the PCC, within the confines of Fort Sherman. A radio compass house, barracks, married quarters for the Chief-in-Charge and a concrete seawall were constructed, and the Radio Compass Station at Toro Point was commissioned on May 18, 1925. In December, 1940, the Communications Support Activity, Toro Point was established. In August, 1941, the located Direction Finder Station and a Radio Intercept Station located at Balboa, Panama moved to Toro Point. The Communicatons Support Activity was redesignated as the Naval Communications Station (NAVCOMMSTA) Toro Point. Naval Communications Unit (NAVCOMMUNIT 36) was established at Toro Point in 1950. In December of 1952, Toro Point Radio Compass Station, and Naval Communications Unit 36, were redesignated as Naval Communications Unit (NAVCOMMUNIT) Number 33, and moved to NAVRADSTA Galeta Island, at Galeta Point, Panama. An operations building was built, and an AN/GRD-6 direction finding antenna system was installed at Galeta Point. In December, 1958, NAVRADSTA Galeta Island and NAVCOMMUNIT 33 disestablished, and were redesignated as NSGA Galeta Island, Panama. Under the terms of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977, Galeta Island had been designated as a DOD contractor site for the length of the treaty, providing continuous support to the fleet until December 31, 1999; when full and final proprietorship of the Panama Canal and its support and defense systems passed to the Republic of Panama. The Panama Canal Treaty required the U.S. to leave at the end of 1999. Southern Command started pulling out troops in 1994. The U.S. turned over about 4,700 buildings and about 93,000 acres to the Panamanian government. The military gradually vacated Quarry Heights, Fort Clayton, Fort Kobbe, Howard Air Force Base, Albrook Air Force Station and Rodman Naval Station on the Pacific side, and Fort Sherman and Galeta Island on the Atlantic side. These military facilities were well-tended oases of red tiled roofs, white tropical buildings, manicured lawns and palm tree-lined streets; located in the lush green countryside, edged by jungle-covered mountains. After the return of the Panama Canal to Panamanian Control on December 31, 1999, all U.S. Military activity ceased. Radio Compass Station, Toro Point, Panama 18 May 1925 Dec 1952 Communications Support Activity, Toro Point, Panama Dec 1940 Aug 1941 DF and RI moved here from Direction Finding Aug 1941 Station Balboa, Panama Naval Communications Station, Toro Point, Panama Aug 1941 Dec 1952 Naval Communications Unit (NAVCOMMUNIT 36) 1950 Dec 1952 Redesignated as Naval Communications Unit 33 Dec 1952 (NAVCOMMUNIT 33), and Moved to NAVRADSTA Galeta Island, Panama Dec 1952 Dec 1958 NAVRADSTA Galeta Island redesignated as NSGA Dec 1958 Galeta Island, Panama =================================================================================== Trinidad, Chagaramus, British West Indies Trinidad (Spanish: "Trinity") is the largest and most populous of the 23 islands which make up the country of Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just 7 miles off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. Trinidad has an area of 1,864 square miles. Trinidad was originally settled by Amerindians of South American origins. The first European to spot it was Christopher Columbus on his third voyage in 1498, and claimed it for Spain. He sailed to the 'New World' in three ships, called the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. On first discovering the Island, (or re-discovered as was the case) he named it La Trinity in the name of Spain. He called it this because the first thing he saw when approaching the island from the south was three hills together. The island was later renamed Trinidad, although the hills are still known as Trinity Hills. During this time, the Caribbean gold rush drew many Spanish sailors who exploited gold found in other colonies. Trinidad's lack of gold kept it from being settled immediately. Despite the Spanish claim on the island, they were not the first to own it. Amerindian tribes known as the Carib and Arawak lived on the island before Columbus' time. It's not clear who dominated the population, the warlike Carib or peaceful Arawak, but it is believed that the majority of inhabitants were Arawak. Little was known about these native people because the Spanish used many of them as slaves. The island's native Indians were exported as slaves to mine gold in other Spanish territories, including Mexico. Though the Spanish claimed Trinidad for some 300 years, they did not settle the island until late in their reign, at which point some were arguing to the Spanish crown for better treatment of the Amerindian natives. However, this did not halt the process of enslaving the Arawak. The island was not economically viable for settlement until 1718, when cocoa plants began producing crops. Problems with the 1733 crop returned Trinidad to anonymity. With less than 800 inhabitants in 1772, Spain made an attempt to entice settlers to Trinidad to augment the population of 300 Spanish settlers. About 400 Amerindians still lived on the island, and many French settlers were soon to join their ranks. Just 25 years later the population had grown to more than 16,000, including 2,100 white Europeans and 4,500 free Africans. Trinidad remained in Spanish hands until 1797 (when the British attacked the island), but it was largely settled by the French and their African slaves. In 1797 the British took control of Trinidad from the Spanish, but they were left with the question of how to handle the large population of free blacks and few British settlers. Social and political pressures caused the British government to ban the importation of agricultural slaves to Trinidad. In 1889, Trinidad was united with Tobago into a single crown colony. In 1910, Trinidad's world value changed when oil was discovered off the island's coast. Returns from the first World War also brought cultural changes, and by 1925 the people of Trinidad and Tobago received voting rights. Sugar production was almost nonexistent by 1929, but the oil industry bolstered the islands' economy. In September, 1940, In exchange for 50 four-stack destroyers, Great Britain, by formal agreement, ceded to the U.S. for a period of 99 years, sites for Naval and Air Bases in the Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Trinidad, Antigua, British Guiana, Bermuda and Newfoundland. Acquisition of these sites advanced the U.S. sea frontiers by several hundred miles and provided bases from which Naval ships and aircraft could cover strategically important sea approaches to our coast and to the Panama Canal. In 1941, The entire Chagaramus peninsula was leased to the U.S. Navy. On August 1, 1941, the following bases were established at Chagaramus, a Naval Operating Base, a Naval Air Station (Sea Plane Base), a Lighter-than-Air (Blimp) Base and a Naval Radio Station. the U.S. Naval Operating Base, Chagaramus, Trinidad, was established on the island of Chagaramus, off the northwest peninsula, west of the capital city of Port of Spain; and was a major base with docking facilities for destroyers and submarines. By 1943, the Chaguaramas Naval Base was in full operation, and at its peak during World War II, there were some 30,000 resident U.S. troops located on Chaguaramas. The U.S. Navy Direction Finding Station, Trinidad was established in January, 1943, when the Navy Direction Finding Station at Cabo Rojo, in Peurto RIco closed and moved to Trinidad. The Navy DF Station was co-located with the U.S. Naval Radio Station, Trinidad, and closed after the conclusion of World War II, in July, 1945. The facility was transferred the U.S. Coast Guard. During World War II, the U.S. Army Air Forces maintained a base at "Edinburgh Field" Trinidad. At Carlsen Airfield on Trinidad, Naval Construction Battalion 80 paved runways and built a giant blimp hangar. Naval Construction Battalion 83 helped cut an eight-mile, S-curved highway up Trinidad's jungled mountain slopes. Beginning at the sea level town of Port of Spain and climbing to a height of 1,300 feet, the construction of this road required that the Seabees move one million cubic yards of earth and rock. In 1967, the U.S. Navy closed the Naval Base at Chaguaramas and departed Trinidad. The base was turned over to the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. Trinidad and Tobago obtained its independence from the British Empire in 1962, and became a republic in 1976. The U.S. was the biggest trading partner with the islands in 1977. The capital of Trinidad is Port of Spain, located in the northwest of the island. The largest municipality is Chaguanas, an important shopping area, and central to the once vibrant sugar industry. The city of San Fernando, the second largest municipality, lies further south. Navy Direction Finding Station, Cabo Rojo, PR Feb 1942 Jan 1943 Moved to Trinidad Navy Direction Finding Station, Trinidad Jan 1943 Jul 1945 Transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard Navy Direction Finding Station, Trinidad (reopened) 1952 ??? ???? Naval Communications Unit (NAVCOMMUNIT 41) 1952 ??? ???? =================================================================================== Tybee Island, Georgia Tybee Island is a barrier island and a present day city in Chatham County, near the city of Savannah, off the coast of the state of Georgia. Tybee Island is one of ten Georgia islands, comprising "the Golden Isles of Georgia". Tybee Island is also one of over 100 "Sea Islands', which are a chain of tidal and barrier islands on the Atlantic Ocean coast, located between the mouths of the Santee and St. Johns Rivers along the coast of the U.S. states of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The city of Tybee Island was Incorporated in 1887. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 3,392. The island, which includes the city of the same name, had a population of 3,713. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.7 square miles. The entire island has a land area of 21.9 square miles. Tybee Island may be best known outside of Georgia as the home of the Tybee Bomb, a nuclear weapon that was lost offshore on February 5, 1958, when a U.S. B-47 bomber jettisoned a hydrogen bomb into the Atlantiv, never to be seen again. Officially renamed "Savannah Beach" in a publicity move at the end of the 1950s, the city of Tybee Island has since reverted to its original name, although maps show the use of the name Savannah Beach as far back as 1952, and as recently as the mid 1970s on official state maps. The small island, which has long been a quiet getaway for the residents of Savannah, has become a popular vacation spot with tourists from outside the Savannah metropolitan area. Tybee Island History Tybee Island was originally inhabited by the Euchee Native American tribe and gave the island its name. Tybee is a Euchee word for salt meadow. Later, in the 1500s, the Spanish laid claim to the island and named it Los Bajos. In 1520, Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon laid claim to Tybee as part of Spain's "La Florida", which extended from the Bahamas to Nova Scotia. Tybee Island was at the northern end of the Guale missionary province of Spanish Florida. During that time, the island was frequented by pirates, who visited the Island in search of a safe haven and hiding place for treasure. Pirates later used the island’s inland waterways as a source for fresh water and game to replenish supplies. In 1605, the French were drawn to Tybee in search of Sassafras roots, which at the time were considered by Europeans to be a miracle cure. The Spanish fought the French in a Naval battle just off shore of Tybee Island, to regain control over the area. After the founding of South Carolina in 1670, warfare increased between the English and Spanish and their Indians allies, as well as South Carolina's pirate allies. In 1702, James Moore of South Carolina led an invasion of Spanish Florida, with an Indian army and a fleet of pirates. The invasion failed to take the capital of Florida, St. Augustine, but did destroy the Guale and Mocama missionary provinces, raiding and enslaving Indians throughout the Sea Islands, including Tybee Island. After another invasion of Spanish Florida by South Carolina in 1704, Spanish power was limited to St. Augustine and Pensacola; and the Sea Islands were depopulated, allowing the establishment of new English settlements such as the colony of Georgia. Spain was forced to give up their claim to Tybee and other extremities, due to superior French and British settlements. In 1733, General James Oglethorpe and a handful of settlers came to the area. They called it Savannah, because of the vast marshlands and tall grass. Here they established the new colony which would be named to honor King George. Tybee was considered to be extremely important to the development and future of Savannah and the colony because of its location at the mouth of the Savannah river. During the American Civil War, Tybee Island was the site of siege batteries used by the Union Army in their successful bombardment of Fort Pulaski on April 10-11, 1862. This was the first significant use of rifled cannons against masonry fortifications and demonstrated that masonry fortifications were obsolete. Despite their significance, the Union batteries remain unrecognized as an historical site. Tybee Island Lighthouse The Tybee Island Light Station, also known simply as the Tybee Lighthouse, is located east of Savannah, at the mouth of the Savannah River, near the Savannah River entrance, on the northeasterly end of Tybee Island, Georgia. The Tybee Island Light Station is one of just a handful of 18th century lighthouses still in operation in North America. In 1732, General James Oglethorpe, Governor of Georgia, the 13th colony, ordered construction of a lighthouse on Tybee Island, to safely guide mariners into Savannah harbor. General Oglethorpe also ordered that a small fort be constructed to insure control over access to the river. First built in 1736, the lighthouse tower was made of brick and wood, and stood 90 feet tall, making it the highest structure in colonial America, at that time; and was the first lighthouse established on the Southeastern U.S. coastline region. In August, 1741, the lighthouse was destroyed and washed away by a storm. In March, 1742 a second lighthouse, made of stone and wood, was built; and stood 94 feet tall. In 1768, the building of a third lighthouse was authorized. In 1773 a third lighthouse was built. This brick lighthouse with wooden stairs was 100 feet tall. Tybee Light was under construction by the State of Georgia, when that State became part of the Federal Union in 1788. The lighthouse and property on Tybee Island was believed to have been ceded to the Federal Government in December, 1791, although no records to substantiate this are available. During the War of 1812, the Tybee Island Lighthouse was used as a signal tower to warn Savannah of possible attack by the British, though no such attack took place. In 1815, Tybee Tower, a lookout station with an exterior gun battery, was located near the lighthouse. Used during the Civil War as a signal station, Tybee Tower was finally destroyed by the Army in 1914. The third lighthouse was refitted with 16 inch reflectors in 1841. In 1857, a second order Fresnel lens was installed. In 1861, Confederate troops set fire to and severely damaged the third lighthouse, to prevent its use by Union troops during the Civil War. The interior of the tower and the lantern were destroyed by fire, and the lens was removed. Union forces watched from nearby Fort Pulaski, as rebel troops used the damaged tower as a fortress. In 1862, rebel forces evacuated the lighthouse. Of the original 100 feet of the third lighthouse, only 60 feet remained, which served as a rebuilding point for a fourth lighthouse. By 1865, the beacon had been relit, but not the main light. In 1866, $20,000 was authorized to build a new brick and cast iron lighthouse. In 1867, an additional $34,443 was appropriated for rebuilding the tower, including the keeper’s dwelling. The work was progressing satisfactorily, the Lighthouse Board reported, until July 18, 1866, when all labor was interrupted by panic among the workmen, caused by the arrival of a detachment of U.S. troops on the island, with cholera prevailing among them. The foreman in charge of the work, and four of the mechanics died of the epidemic and work was suspended. The troops, while on the island, did much damage to the lighthouse station, and an additional appropriation was required for repairs. The remaining lower sixty feet of the previous lighthouse tower was in fact used as the foundation for the new 154 foot tall tower. Tybee Light had formerly been a second class light station, but in reestablishing it, it was equipped with a first order Fresnel lens. On October 1, 1867, construction was completed, and the fourth lighthouse was first lit. The octagonal brick tower (still standing) tower rises 154 feet above the ground and 144 feet above the water. Exhibiting a fixed white electric light of 70,000 candlepower from its first order Fresnel lens, the light was visible for 18 miles. The lighthouse tower was constructed of masonry and metal only, and was therefore completely fireproof. The lower 50 feet of the tower was painted black, the upper 64 feet was painted white, and the lantern was black. In 1869, it was decided that the lighthouse required additional protection from the ever increasing tides and gale force winds, so it was moved 165 feet back from the shoreline. In 1871, severe gales caused great damage along the southern coast, and so greatly damaged the lighthouse tower, as to render it unsafe. The Lighthouse Board reported that the tower was cracked and liable to fall at any time; and due to its great age (78 years), and its total neglect during the Civil War, the tower was impossible to properly repair. The encroachment of the sea upon the southerly point of Tybee Island made it necessary to remove the front beacon, a skeleton frame structure, and set it back 400 feet on a new foundation in 1873. It had to be moved still farther back in 1879. Between 1871 and 1879, the recommendations for a new structure was repeated annually by the Lighthouse Board. In 1879, the Board reported that during a gale in September, 1878, the tower vibrated to an alarming extent and that the cracks had widened and grown longer. Nothing, however, was ever done to replace the structure, and it stands today as it was rebuilt in 1867. The Charleston earthquake of August, 1886 extended the cracks in the tower, but not to any dangerous extent. The quake displaced the lens and broke the attachments to its upper ring. In 1933, the fuel to light the lamp in the lens was converted from kerosene to electricity. Three weeks after the light was electrified, the lighthouse tower was donated to the Tybee Island Historical Society by the U.S. Lighthouse Service. The light itself was maintained in an operational condition, and stayed in service. In 1939, the U.S. Coast Guard took over operations at the light. In 1971, the day mark was changed on the tower to black over white. The current black and white tower markings is a reversion to its fourth day mark, first used in 1916. In 1972, the first order Fresnel lens was automated, and keepers were no longer required at the Tybee Island Light. In 1987, the U.S, Coast Guard moved their operations to Cockspur Island, and the Tybee Island Light Station was inactivated. In 2002, The Tybee Island Historical Society commenced operating the lighthouse. The public is able to climb the 178 steps to the top of the light. Restoration of several buildings on the site is currently underway. The Tybee Lighthouse is a popular tourist destination. All of the support buildings on the five acre site have been historically preserved. Tybee Island Range Front Lighthouse or Tybee (Knoll) Cut Range Front The Tybee Island Range Front Lighthouse, also known as Tybee (Knoll) Cut Range Front Lighthouse, was located on the southern side of the main channel, at the mouth of the Savannah River; on the northern side of the eastern end of Long Island, near Tybee Island. Tybee Island Range Front Lighthouse was built in 1878. A sixth order Fresnel lens was installed, and first lit in 1878. The tower and lantern was 24 feet high, and was built on a white keeper's dwelling. The lighthouse was built to replace light ships that had been on station since 1848. In 1881, the lighthouse survived hurricane force winds that wiped out a village on Cockspur Island. In July, 1911, the lighthouse was renovated, repaired or possibly rebuilt. The lighthouse building was later destroyed in a storm, sometime after 1914. Fort Tybee Fort Tybee was built on Tybee Island by the British in 1778, after Savannah was occupied. It was abandoned shortly before French and Colonial troops took the island in 1779, during the unsuccessful seige of the Savannah. Fort Screven In 1786, the Georgia Legislature approved the creation of a fort on either Cockspur or Tybee Island. The fort was never built by the state. In 1808, the Federal government obtained jurisdiction over the property on Tybee Island, now known as the Fort Screven Reservation. The actual title was acquired in 1875. In 1875, a fort was ordered built on the North end of Tybee Island, 18 miles southeast of Savannah in Chatham County, to provide a more modern system of seacoast defenses. Six poured concrete low profile gun batteries and a minefield were built, along with hundreds of other military buildings. Gun Batteries, such as Battery Garland would be named to honor America's war heroes. Previously known as Fort Tybee (or Tybee Barracks) (1778-1779), the post was established as Camp Graham on March 18, 1898, and Fort Screven was first commissioned in 1899. Construction was not completed until 1901. Its original name, Camp Graham, was changed, in honor of General Joseph Screven, a Georgia Militia Brigadier General and Revolutionary War hero, who was killed at Midway Church in 1778, Fort Screven served as an integral part of America's Coastal Defense system. Fort Screven was the headquarters of Savannah’s coastal defense until February 27, 1924, later became an artillery post and, finally, a deep-sea diving school. Troops trained here and stood guard on Tybee Island through the Spanish American War of 1898, World War I, and World War II. The War Department declared Fort Screven surplus on October 21, 1944. In 1945, the Fort was closed and decommissioned. In 1947, it was sold to the Town of Savannah Beach (now Tybee Island). Fort Screven is most notable for one of its former Commanding Officers, George C. Marshall, later a General famous for the Marshall Plan that rebuilt Western Europe after WWII. Very little remains of the original Fort buildings due to redevelopment of the area for housing. One of the most important remaining structures is the Tybee Post Theater which was constructed in 1930. It was one of the first theaters in Georgia to have sound features and was the highlight of recreational activities for the Fort. Other remaining buildings include the recently restored Guard House; Bakery, now a private home; and barracks, now apartments. The ruins of the beach fortifications are also extant. The Fort Screven Preservation Organization was created in 2007 to preserve and restore historically significant structures on Tybee Island, concentrating on Fort Screven Gun Batteries, fortifications, and related structures. Tybee Island Museum Of the six original batteries, Battery Garland, 1899, is accessible to the public. In 1961, Battery Garland, the former gun battery and magazine for a 12 inch long range gun, became the Tybee Island Museum. Rooms which once stored six hundred pound projectiles and two hundred pound bags of gun powder, now hold the collections and exhibits of over four hundred years of Tybee Island history. Several cannons and other military hardware are on display. Another remaining area is Officer's Row, an impressive group of original homes that had a sweeping an ocean view. One of these homes is now a Bed and Breakfast. Today, visitors marvel at the private residences nestled atop the fort's walls. Tybee Post Theater After Fort Screven was decommissioned, the Post Theater was sold to private owners and became the Beach Theater. From the 1940s through the 1960s, locals and tourists alike enjoyed movies at the Beach. At the end of the sixties, her run was over and the theater closed. For a brief time it served as a sail loft and was later gutted in anticipation of development into condominiums. The building then stood vacant and open to the elements for over 20 years. In 2006, the theater was purchased by the Friends of the Tybee Theater (FOTT). FOTT is currently in the process of restoring the theater. Once finished, the Tybee Post Theater will be the cultural arts center for Tybee Island and the surrounding community, featuring all types of live entertainment, movies and arts activities. Navy Direction Finding Station, Tybee Island, GA at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Tybee Island, GA =================================================================================== Vaitogi, Tutuila Island, American Samoa, USA American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the U.S. located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa. The main (largest and most populous) island is Tutuila, with the Manu'a Islands, Rose Atoll, and Swains Island also included in the territory. American Samoa is part of the Samoan Islands chain, located west of the Cook Islands, north of Tonga, and some 300 miles south of Tokelau. To the west are the islands of the Wallis and Futuna group. The 2000 census showed a total population of 57,291. It consists principally of five volcanic islands and two coral atolls, for a total area of 76 square miles. It is located approximately 2,300 miles southwest of Hawaii. Tutuila is the main or largest island of American Samoa, the most populated island, and the third largest island in the Samoan Island chain. The island is distinctive in the Central Pacific for its large, natural harbor, on which the capital of American Samoa, Pago Pago, is located. Pago Pago is the seat of the legislature, judiciary, and the location of the office of the Governor. Vaitogi is a village on Totuila Island, located in the southwest portion of the island. Although many historians debate it, many believed that the Samoan Islands were originally inhabited as early as 1000 BC. Samoa was not reached by European explorers until the eighteenth century. Early Western contact included a battle in the eighteenth century between French explorers and islanders in Tutuila, for which the Samoans were blamed in the West, giving them a reputation for ferocity. In 1839, the visit of an American Naval vessel marked the first official U.S. contact with this area. In 1872, the need for a coaling station brought about an agreement between the commander of the U.S. Naval vessel Narragansett and the chief of Pago Pago; although the agreement was never ratified by the U.S. Senate, it prevented other nations from making claims on Pago Pago Harbor as international competition for bases in the South Pacific increased. In March of 1889, a German Naval force invaded a village in Samoa, and by doing so destroyed some American property. Three American warships then entered the Samoan harbor and were prepared to fire on the three German warships found there. Before guns were fired, a typhoon sank both the American and German ships. A compulsory armistice was called because of the lack of warships. International rivalries in the latter half of the nineteenth century were settled by the 1899 Treaty of Berlin, in which Germany and the U.S. divided the Samoan archipelago. The U.S. formally occupied its portion, a smaller group of eastern islands, with the noted harbor of Pago Pago, the following year. Germany took control of the western islands, whose total area is 1,120 square miles. These islands now comprise the Independent State of Western Samoa, which New Zealand forces wrested from the Germans in 1914, maintaining control of them until 1962. After the U.S. took possession of Samoa, the U.S. Navy built a coaling station on Pago Pago Bay in 1900, for its Pacific Squadron and appointed a local Secretary. The Navy secured a Deed of Cession of Tutuila in 1900 and a Deed of Cession of Manu'a in 1904. The last sovereign of Manu'a, the Tui Manu'a Elisala, was forced to sign a Deed of Cession of Manu'a following a series of U.S. Naval trials, known as the "Trial of the Ipu", in Pago Pago, Ta'u, and aboard a Pacific Squadron gunboat. After World War I, during the time of the Mau movement in Western Samoa (then a New Zealand protectorate), there was a corresponding American Samoa Mau movement, led by Samuel Sailele Ripley, who was from Leone village and was a WWI war veteran. After meetings in America, he was prevented from disembarking from the ship that brought him home to American Samoa and was not allowed to return. The American Samoa Mau movement having been suppressed by the U.S. Navy, in 1930 the U.S. Congress sent a committee to investigate the status of American Samoa, led by Americans who had had a part in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. In October, 1939, a U.S. Navy Communications Supplementary Activity was established near the village of Vaitogi, on Tutuila Island. In March, 1943, the COMSUPACT was redesignated as the U.S. Naval Supplementary Radio Station, Vaitogi, Tutuila Island, American Samoa, Both the COMSUPPACT and the NAVSUPPRADSTA included a co-located Navy Direction Finding Station. NAVSUPPRADSTA Vaitogi was disestablished, and closed in December, 1948. During World War II, the U.S. Naval Station Tutuila, now a Historic District listed on the National Register, was the headquarters of the Samoan Defense Group, which included several adjacent island groups, and was the largest of the Pacific defense groups. On December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the Naval Station Tutuila Island, at Pago Pago Harbor, included a Naval Air Station (partially completed, under construction), and a Naval Radio Station. Historic properties from World War II are found throughout the islands in the form of military facilities such as medical facilities, the Tafuna Air Base, the Marine Training facility in Leone, and pillboxes that dot the coastlines. During World War II, U.S. Marines in Samoa outnumbered the local population, having a huge cultural influence. Young Samoan men from the age of 14 and above were combat trained by U.S. military personnel. As in WWI, Samoans served in WWII as combatants, medical personnel, code personnel, ship repairs, etc. The U.S. Navy governed American Samoa until June 29, 1951, when an Executive Order transferred the administration of the territory to the Department of the Interior. In 1954, the Van Camp Seafood Co. of California opened a cannery on the eastern shore of Pago Bay, followed some years later by Starkist Inc. The canneries make significant contributions to the economy of American Samoa and employment opportunities draw people from Western Samoa. The fishing industry has also employed other minority groups, such as Japanese and Korean fishermen. After the war, Organic Act 4500, a U.S. Department of Interior-sponsored attempt to incorporate Samoa, was defeated in Congress, primarily through the efforts of Samoan chiefs, led by Tuiasosopo Mariota. These chiefs' efforts led to the creation of a local legislature, the American Samoa Fono which meets in the village of Fagatogo, the territory's de facto and de jure capital. In time, the Navy-appointed governor was replaced by a locally elected one. In I960, American Samoa adopted a constitution. Although technically considered "unorganized" in that the U.S. Congress has not passed an Organic Act for the territory, American Samoa is self-governing under a constitution that became effective on July 1, 1967. The U.S. Territory of American Samoa is on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, a listing which is disputed by territorial government officials. Communications Supplementary Activity (DF), Oct 1939 Mar 1943 Vaitogi, Tutuila Island, American Samoa Naval Supplementary Radio Station (DF), Vaitogi, Mar 1943 Dec 1948 Tutuila Island, American Samoa =================================================================================== Whitefish Point, Whitefish Bay, Paradise, Upper Peninsula, Michigan Whitefish Bay is a large bay on the eastern end of the southern shore of Lake Superior between Michigan and Ontario. It begins in the north and west at Whitefish Point in Michigan, about 10 miles north of Paradise, Michigan and ends at the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie on the southeast. Whitefish Point is approximately 70 miles from Sault St. Marie. The international boundary runs through the bay, which is heavily used by northbound and southbound ship traffic and has historically been the site of many shipwrecks. The Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve is part of Michigan's Underwater Preserve System developed for scuba divers. Whitefish Point is the home of a former Coast Guard station and the Whitefish Point Lighthouse is the oldest active light on Lake Superior. Part of the lighthouse station houses the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. The point is also a popular place for rock collectors, ship watchers, squirrel feeders, and bird watchers. The eastern side of the bay on the Ontario side is more rugged, largely wilderness Canadian Shield. Whitefish Point is also part of the Whitefish Point National Wildlife Refuge, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The village of Paradise is 10 miles south of Whitefish Point. Paradise is an unincorporated community in Whitefish Township, in Chippewa County. Paradise is on the northeastern portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the western side of Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior, about 60 miles by road from Sault Ste. Marie and about 55 miles north of the Mackinac Bridge. Founded in 1925, Paradise is surrounded by state and national forests and its main business is tourism. It is considered one of two gateways to the Tahquamenon Falls area and Tahquamenon Falls State Park. The other gateway is Newberry, about 40 miles to the southwest. Paradise has a long history of logging, fishing, shipping, and berry harvesting. In 1922, a fire raged over the land around Paradise, destroying the natural growth. This fire lead the area to become one of Michigan's most productive wild blueberry regions. Three years after the fire, the village of Paradise was founded. The village is home to the annual Blueberry Festival in August. Three miles north of Paradise lies the remains of the lumber town Shelldrake. Shelldrake was settled in the mid 1800s, and built on the mouth of the Shelldrake River. Shelldrake was home to a hospital and houses for 1,000 lumberjacks. Much of the village was destroyed by a fire in 1926. The buildings at Shelldrake have disappeared and only a few traces of the town remain. Ten miles to the west of Paradise lies the Tahquamenon Falls State Park. The 50,000 acre park is home to the second largest waterfall east of the Mississippi. In 1671, a French explorer documented the falls on a map, the name of the falls at that time was Outakouaminan. It is unknown when the name changed to Tahquamenon, but by 1855, the area was known as Tahquamenaw. The name Tahquamenaw is credited to the amber coloring of the water. This color comes from the tanic acid leaching out of the cedar and hemlock swamps at the head of the river. The Ojibwa Indians inhabited the area. They lived there for its abundance of fish and animals. The Ojibwa camped, farmed, fished and trapped along the banks of the Tahquamenon river. In the late 1800's, logging had reached the area and the Tahquamenon river carried the logs downstream. The lumberjacks were some of the first white settlers in the area. Today the Tahquamenon falls covers almost 13 miles of undeveloped woodland, at the center of the park are the two falls, the upper and the lower. The upper falls drop almost 50 feet while the lower falls are a series of five small falls surrounding an island. This island can be reached by boat and has extensive trails. Whitefish Point was founded about 1871, as a supply landing for lumber camps and as a commercial fishery. Whitefish Point Lighthouse The Commerce Committee was instructed to investigate the feasibility of erecting a Lighthouse at Whitefish Point on January 13, 1846. Congress appropriated $5,000 for the station’s construction on March 3, 1847. On April 3, 1847, a 115.5 acres site consisting of cranberry bog and sand dunes was designated for the station. The contract for the station’s construction was awarded to a Sandusky, Ohio contractor on August 21, 1847, and construction began the summer of 1848, with the delivery of stone from Tahquamenon Island by the 40-ton Astor-owned schooner Fur Trader, one of the earliest large commercial vessels to ply Superior’s waters. Construction was completed on November 1, 1848. The Whitefish Point station was the first lighthouse built on Lake Superior. The stone tower stood 65 feet tall. Six windows illuminated the tower interior, and a yellow pine spiral stairway wound its way up from an entry door on the ground level to an iron ladder, which led the final 8 feet to the scuttle door in the stone deck. An octagonal iron lantern centered on the stone deck housed an array of thirteen Lewis lamps. A simple detached one and one-half story stone dwelling was built, containing two rooms on the lower level and a sleeping area within the attic. Construction costs were higher than expected, with the total costs for the station coming in at $8,298, $3,298 over the original estimate and appropriation. The first Keeper of the Whitefish Point Light was appointed on October 10, 1848. Tthe new light was first lit at the opening of the 1849 navigation season. An 1850 inspection of the station, recommended that a fence be erected around the reservation in order to keep the cattle and Indians away from the buildings. Evidently living conditions at the remote station were less than ideal, as a succession of keepers resigned the position, with ten keepers resigning their positions between 1848 and 1860. In 1857, the Whitefish Point station's Lewis lamp array was replaced with a fixed white fourth order Fresnel lens, increasing the station's visibility range to 13 miles. With the opening of the new lock at the Sault in 1855, a major boom was experienced in St. Mary’s River and Lake Superior maritime traffic, and on February 10, 1859 the Commerce Committee recommended improving the lighthouses at Whitefish Point and Manitou Island in Lake Superior, and at DeTour at the Lake Huron entry into the St. Mary’s River. Contracts for a new station at Whitefish Point were awarded in 1861. Construction commenced in the summer of 1861. The new tower was built of prefabricated numbered cast iron sections, which were assembled in a manner similar to that of a giant erector set. The tower featured a six-foot diameter cylindrical cast iron center cylinder of ¼ inch plates, with its interior wall lined with wood paneling to help reduce condensation. Within this cylinder, a series of 57 cast iron stairs spiraled from the entry at the lower end to the lantern, which was also fabricated of cast iron sections. The center cylinder and lantern were supported by four tubular iron legs which were bolted to concrete foundation pads. The four legs were in turn supported by horizontal cross members with the entire assembly provided rigidity by way of diagonal iron braces equipped with turnbuckles. The central cylinder did not reach the ground, but was suspended approximately 17 feet above ground level, with entrance gained from the second floor of the two story wood frame dwelling, through an elevated covered passageway. The tower was capped by a lantern, with a fixed white third order Fresnel lens. After the entire tower structure was given a coat of dark brown paint, the new tower was placed into service late in 1862. The old tower was demolished immediately. The old keeper's dwelling was left standing for a number of years. During an annual inspections of the station in 1869, it was first mentioned that maritime commerce in the area would benefit greatly from the addition of a fog signal at the station. Congress appropriated the funds in 1871, and contracts were awarded for a horizontal locomotive boiler and 10-inch steam whistles for the station. The fog signal building was erected in 1871. The 22-foot by 40-foot wood- frame building was sided with corrugated iron sheathing. The inner walls were lined with iron sheathing to reflect the heat generated by the boilers, and the walls packed with a mixture of sawdust and lime to provide insulation and to act as a fire retardant. The decision was made to change the station’s characteristic from fixed to flashing in 1892. Also this year, a contract for furnishing the metal work for a circular iron oil storage building was awarded, and delivered to the Detroit lighthouse depot. In the spring of 1893, the new flash panels and iron work were loaded on the lighthouse tender Amaranth, and were delivered to Whitefish Point. The oil house was erected, and the flash panels and rotating mechanism were installed in the lantern. The new flashing light characteristic was first lit on June 15, 1893. On May 15, 1894, the intensity of the light was increased through the installation of a second order kerosene lamp within the Third Order lens. With the increased workload represented by the fog signal station, plans were underway in 1894 to add a Second Assistant Keeper to the station’s roster the following year. By June, 1895, to accommodate the additional keeper, the original single family dwelling was modified into a mirrored duplex layout, with separate entrances and stairways for the Keeper and First Assistant Keeper, who lived on each side. A small frame dwelling for the Second Assistant Keeper was built to the east of the main building. In July, 1895, concrete walkways connecting the station buildings were laid, and the tower was repainted white, as an improved day mark. After 25 years of service, the fog signal building and steam plants were showing significant signs of wear, and the fog signal building was rebuilt on July 7, 1896. Replacement boilers and machinery were delivered by the lighthouse tender Amaranth in September, 1896. By October, 1896, the new signal was placed into service. A tramway was erected from the fog signal to the shore in 1900, and the iron smoke- stacks were replaced by 40-foot tall brick chimneys in 1905. An electrically operated submarine bell was installed 2,187 yards from the shore in 1912. On September 5, 1913, the lamp was upgraded to an Aladdin incandescent oil vapor system with a remarkable increase in intensity from 320,000 to 3,000,000 candlepower. In 1923, the U.S. Coast Guard erected a Lifesaving Station on the Lighthouse Station reservation. A number of new buildings were erected, including an observation tower. The steam power plant and 10-inch whistle were removed from the fog signal building on August 15, 1925, and replaced with a more powerful compressed air powered Type F diaphone. On October 13, 1925, a radio beacon transmitter was installed in the fog signal building. Transmitting from a tall steel tower, the transmitter emitted a repetitive single, which mariners used to fix their position by triangulating from other radio beacon stations on the lake. the thirty year old corrugated iron fog signal building was irreparably destroyed in a storm on October 11, 1935. In 1936, a new brick fog signal building was erected immediately in front of the light tower. The station was also electrified in 1936. A number of protective piers were erected along the shoreline in 1937. After assumption of responsibility for the nation’s aids to navigation in 1939, operation of the Whitefish Point lighthouse came under the the U.S. Coast Guard. However, the Lighthouse and Lifesaving station crews operated independently, until April 9, 1947, when the two crews were consolidated. A six man crew was stationed full time to operate the light, the fog signal, the radio beacon and the weather bureau station, which had also been established. The Fresnel lens was removed from the lantern in 1968, and replaced with an aero- beacon. The U.S. Coast Guard Station was closed in 1970, and the last keepers departed the station. The station was completely automated in 1971. The station dwellings and other structures were abandoned. Periodic U.S. Coast Guard crews maintain the aero- beacon in the lighthouse, the fog signal, the radio beacon and the automated weather beacon. The station buildings were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. In 1978, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society was formed, with Whitefish Point becoming the focal point for the organization. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum was established at Whitefish Point in 1985. The lighthouse keeper's dwellings, the Coast Guard Lifesaving Crews Quarters and the Coast Guard Boathouse have also been fully restored to their original condition. One of the secondary residence buildings was converted into a mini-theater. The Society is presently working on restoration of the Fog Signal Building. In 1983, the diaphones in the fog signal building were replaced with an electronic horn mounted on the tower. The Coast Guard still maintains the fog signal as an active aid to navigation, with maintenance performed by the Coast Guard station at Sault Ste Marie. Most of Whitefish Point is a state wildlife sanctuary, renowned for the variety of birds that pass through, including hawks, eagles, goshawks, geese, falcons and owls. The Michigan Audubon Society established the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory, which maintains an education and research facility adjacent to the Whitefish Point Management Unit of Seney National Wildlife Refuge, on the same property as the light station. Navy Direction Finding Station, Whitefish Point, MI at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Whitefish Point, MI =================================================================================== U.S. Lighthouse Service The U.S. Lighthouse Service was created on August 7, 1789 and placed under the Treasury Department. Congress created the U.S. Lighthouse Board in 1852, to which it simultaneously transferred responsibility for the management of all lighthouses. The U.S. Lighthouse Service was transferred to the Commerce and Labor Department in 1910. On July 1, 1939, the Bureau of Lighthouses in the Department of Commerce and its functions were transferred to, consolidated with and administered as a part of the Coast Guard. =================================================================================== U.S. Revenue Cutter Service Revenue Cutters were authorized August 4, 1790. To enforce laws governing the collection of customs and tonnage duties. Supervised by collectors of customs, 1791-1871, except for the period 1843-49, when oversight was vested in Revenue Marine Division of the Treasury Department. A new Revenue Marine Division, was established in 1871, and became the Revenue Cutter Service. The U.S. Revenue Cutter Service was established July 31, 1894. In addition to its customs and tonnage responsibilities, acted to suppress smuggling, piracy, and the slave trade; assisted ships; removed navigation hazards; enforced quarantine regulations, neutrality laws, and laws prohibiting the importation of Chinese coolie labor; and, after 1867, enforced regulations in Alaska concerning the unauthorized killing of fur-bearing animals, fishery protection, and the firearms, ammunition, and liquor traffic. On January 28, 1915, the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service and its functions were consolidated with the U.S. Lifesaving Service to form the Coast Guard. =================================================================================== U.S. Lifesaving Service The U.S. Lifesaving Service was established in February, 1871, in the Revenue Marine Division, Treasury Department. Congress passed an Act in 1874, authorizing the classification of Lifesaving Stations under three groups, designated respectively as complete life-saving stations, life-boat stations and houses of refuge. Placed under a general superintendent immediately responsible to the Secretary of the Treasury by an act of June 18, 1878. On January 28, 1915, Congress combined the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S. Lifesaving Service to form the Coast Guard. Congress organized the Coast Guard as a branch of the military forces. In peacetime, the Coast Guard is in the Treasury Department. It is part of the Navy during war. On July 1, 1939, the U.S. Lighthouse Service was incorporated into the U.S Coast Guard, under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Treasury Department. The Coast Guard is one of the oldest agencies of the U.S. Government owing part of its origins to the Lighthouse Service from 1789. =================================================================================== Navy Filing Manual, Fourth Edition, August 27, 1941 NR - Naval Radio Stations NR1 Bar Harbor, ME NR2 Portland, ME NR3 Portsmouth, NH NR4 Boston, MA NR5 Chatham, MA NR6 Newport, RI NR7 New York, NY NR8 Fire Island, NY NR9 Amagansett, NY NR10 Sayville, NY NR11 Buffalo, NY NR12 San Juan, PR (Cagey) NR13 Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. NR14 Navassa Island, Haiti NR15 Port au Prince, Haiti NR16 St. Thomas, Virgin Islands NR17 St. Croix, Virgin Islands NR18 San Domingo, Dominican Republic NR19 Philadelphia, PA NR20 Cape May, NJ NR21 Lakehurst, NJ NR22 Baltimore, MD NR23 Annapolis, MD NR24 Annapolis, MD, Naval Academy NR25 Indianhead, MD NR26 Arlington, VA NR27 Washington, DC, Navy Yard NR28 Washington, DC, Navy Department Building NR29 Washington, DC, Bureau of Standards NR30 Anacostia, DC NR31 Quantico, VA NR32 Dahlgren, VA NR33 Norfolk, VA NR34 Virginia Beach, VA NR35 Morehead City, NC NR36 Cape Hatteras, NC NR37 Charleston, SC NR38 Savannah, GA NR39 Parris Island, SC NR40 Key West, FL NR41 St. Petersburg, FL NR42 Miami, FL NR43 Jupiter Inlet, FL NR44 St. Augustine, FL NR45 Pensacola, FL NR46 New Orleans, LA NR47 Grand Island, LA NR48 Mobile, AL NR49 Port Arthur, TX NR50 Galveston, TX NR51 Point Isabel, TX NR52 Great Lakes, IL NR53 Milwaukee, WI NR54 Manistique, MI NR55 Eagle Harbor, MI NR56 Duluth, MN NR57 Whitefish Point, MI NR58 Mackinac Island, MI NR59 Alpena, MI NR60 Detroit, MI NR61 Cleveland, OH NR62 Balboa, CZ (Farfan, Darien, Summit, CZ) NR63 Colon (Gatun), CZ NR64 Coco Solo, CZ NR65 Cape Malo, CZ NR66 Puerto O'Baidio, Panama CZ NR67 LaPalma, Panama CZ NR68 Managua, Nicaragua NR69 San Diego, CA (Point Loma and Chollas Heights) NR70 Inglewood, CA NR71 San Francisco, CA, (San Francisco and Mare Island) NR72 San Francisco Beach, CA NR73 Eureka, CA NR74 Marshfield, OR NR75 Astoria, OR NR76 Seattle, WA NR77 Puget Sound, WA (Keyport) NR78 Tatoosh, WA NR79 Ketchikan, AK NR80 Sitka, AK NR81 Juneau, AK NR82 Cordova, AK NR83 Seward, AK NR84 Kodiak, AK NR85 Dutch Harbor, AK NR86 Sarichef, AK NR87 Scotch Cap, AK NR88 St. George, AK NR89 St. Paul, AK NR90 Honolulu, HI (Wahiawa, HI) NR91 Hilo, HI NR92 Tutuila, Samoa NR93 Guam, Marianas Islands NR94 Cavite, Philippine Islands NR95 Olongapo, Philippine Islands NR96 Vladivostok. Russia NR97 Shanghai, China NR98 Peiping, China NR99 New London, CT NR100 David, Republic of Panama CZ NR101 City of Panama, Panama CZ NR102 Sunnysale, CA NR103 Cheltenham, MD NR104 Trona Field, San Pedro, CA NR105 San Nicholas Island, CA NR106 Tientsin, China NR107 Bainbridge Island, WA NR108 Trinidad, British West Indies ========================================== NX - Naval Radio Direction Finder Stations NX1 Bar Harbor, ME NX2 Cape Elizabeth, ME NX3 Thatcher Island, MA NX4 Deer Island, MA NX5 Fourth Cliff, MA NX6 Chatham, MA NX7 Surfside, MA NX8 North Truro, MA NX9 Prices Neck, RI NX10 Sandy Hook, Fort Hancock, NJ NX11 Fire Island, NY NX12 Amagansett, NY NX13 Cape May, NJ NX14 Manasquam, NJ NX15 Lakehurst, NJ NX16 Cape Henlopen, DE NXI7 Bethany Beach, DE NX18 Anacostia, DC NX19 Virginia Beach, VA NX20 Hog Island, VA NX21 Poyners Hill, NC NX22 Cape Hatteras, NC NX23 Cape Lookout, NC NX24 Folly Island, SC NX25 North Island, SC NX26 Tybee Island, GA NX27 Key West, FL NX28 Jupiter, FL NX29 Pensacola, FL NX30 South Pass, LA NX31 Sabine Pass, TX NX32 Manistique, MI NX33 Eagle Harbor, MI NX34 Whitefish Point, MI NX35 DeTour Point, MI NX36 Grand Marais, MI NX37 Thunder Bay Island, MI NX38 Point Loma, CA NX39 Imperial Beach, CA NX40 Point Fermin, CA NX41 Point Hueneme, CA NX42 Point Arguello, CA NX43 Farallone Island, CA NX44 Point Montara, CA NX45 Bird Island, CA NX46 Point Reyes, CA NX47 Eureka, CA NX48 Coco Solo, CZ NX49 Empire, OR NX50 Astoria, Fort Stevens, OR NX51 Klipsan Beach, WA NX52 Tatoosh Island, WA NX53 New Dungenness, WA NX54 Port Angeles, WA NX55 Cattle Point, WA NX56 Smith Island, WA NX57 Soapstone Point, AK NX58 Cape Hinchinbrook, AK NX59 St. Paul, AK NX60 Guam, Marianas Islands. NX61 Peiping, China. NX62 Galveston, TX NX63 Point St. George, CA NX64 Destruction Island, WA NX65 Colon, CZ NX66 Toro Point, CZ NX67 Mare Island, CA NX68 Norfolk, VA NX69 San Juan, PR ==================================== First Edition Jul 05, 1923 Second Edition 1931 Third Edition 1939 Fourth Edition Aug 27, 1941 ==================================== =================================================================================== Compiled by: Michael R. "MO" Morris, CTOCS, USN, Retired CTO SeaDogs WebSite Manager, CTO SeaDogs DataBase Manager, CTO SeaDogs Historian Waldorf, Maryland E-Mail: CTOCS_MO@hotmail.com ================================================================================== Visit the CTO SeaDogs Community WebSite at: http://groups.msn.com/CTOSeaDogs ==================================================================================